


Of Being a Ladybug

by Iggy_Of_Fans



Category: DCU (Comics), Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Batfamily (DCU), Brother-Sister Relationships, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Confused Alya Césaire, Damian Wayne is Bad at Feelings, F/F, F/M, Family Feels, Friends to Lovers, Gotham City Knights, Lila Rossi's Lies Are Exposed, M/M, Marinette Dupain-Cheng Needs a Hug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug Deserves Better, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug Identity Reveal, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug Is So Done, Oblivious Diana, One-Sided Attraction, Protective Tim Drake, Slow Burn, Team Bonding, Team as Family, Uncle Jagged Stone (Miraculous Ladybug)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-07
Updated: 2020-01-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:14:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 22,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22164667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iggy_Of_Fans/pseuds/Iggy_Of_Fans
Summary: The world falls apart for Marinette on a sunny day in May. When an Akuma attacks and Marinette's identity is revealed, she has no choice but to leave Paris behind, but her life continues to spiral out of control and the Heroes left behind struggle to keep it together.Will Bruce be able to save the teen hero from herself? Will Marinette be able to save Paris?
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Kagami Tsurugi, Juleka Couffaine/Original Character(s), Luka Couffaine & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Damian Wayne, Stephanie Brown/Tim Drake, Tim Drake & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 35
Kudos: 526





	1. Chapter 1

Marinette hated that she couldn't call Lila out. Being Ladybug, a hero, meant she couldn't use being Ladybug for selfish reasons. She'd learned her lesson the last time, and in the end it hadn't even been worth it. But as Marinette, she could at the very least gather some evidence, just in case she made good on her threat. Adrien may think taking the high road was best, but Marinette could see the damage she was subtly dealing to Alya, and also to the others, a toxic kind of take and never give mentality growing in the class in the week since her return. Little things, like Kim asking to copy Max's homework instead of simply getting help with his dyslexia, Alix getting annoyed at Nathaniel for paying more attention to the art than to her when they'd hung out last, Mylene getting frustrated and feeling neglected when Ivan took her to practices instead of dates. Things that had never bothered any of her classmates before were starting to cause rifts and fights. Lila wasn't the best liar, anyone could figure her out with half a brain cell and a smartphone. Her power really came in manipulating situations in her favour, her ability to cry on command and have people feel sorry for her. But her ability to read people was her only real genius. She always knew just which buttons to push to make people feel guilty, insecure or "righteous" fury. So it was subtle, but the classroom was becoming toxic to be in. Marinette, being so giving and kind, was the most taken advantage of.

But as it turned out, Marinette didn't really have to do anything at all. Alya did the work of outing Lila by posting an interview on "The Amazing Lila Rossi, the New Every Day Ladybug and Ladybug's best friend!"  
Marinette felt bad for Alya, but also a bit vindicated, since maybe this might finally teach her to fact check. Marinette crossed her fingers in hope of Alya getting off with a slapped wrist and sent the video to Penny Rolling and the Italian embassy general e-mail. It was Sunday night, at least she wouldn't have to wait long to see the results. 

Monday morning burned bright with hope, as Marinette saw a special interview announced from Jagged Stone, Clara Nightingale, Prince Ali and several other names Marinette didn't recognize. Nadja Chamak was not going to be hosting though, as several people being interviewed had complained about "unprofessionalism" of the Parisian News anchor. Marinette shrugged, at least she wouldn't have to babysit. She went to school, hearing whispers of LadyBlog being shut down by Officials due to inaccurate information. Marinette sagged slightly, 'that sucks', she thought. She'd hoped Alya wouldn't be too badly affected. Suddenly a shadow fell over her and she looked up to the frowning face of Adrien Agreste.  
"Adrien! Morning good! Good Morning! Hi!" Marinette stuttered.  
"Did you have anything to do with the LadyBlog being shut down?" Adrien asked, his eyes spelling disappointment.  
"What? It's being shut down? Why? And what do you mean me? What power do I have over anyone, let alone Alya to shut that down?" Marinette asked, a negative feeling travelling down her spine. What the hell was Adrien on about?  
He smiled reassuringly suddenly," You're right. What was I thinking. You may be our everyday Ladybug, but it's not like you have the influence to get a free blog shut down."  
Adrien smiled, patted her shoulder, and walked past her towards the classroom. Marinette stood frozen. Did… Did Adrien think… Did he think she was… Worth less? Because she wasn't rich? She stood there past the final ring of the bell, until Tikki popped her head out.  
"Marinette, are you okay?" she asked quietly. She was highly dissatisfied with Adrien at the moment, but needed to focus on her own charge.  
"Am I… Did Adrien… I thought he was better than that…. But… He actually thinks because… That because I'm not rich, that I have no power…?" sheshe frazed it like a question, but Tikki and Marinette both knew the truth.  
"You should get to class, Marinette" Tikki said instead. Shaking herself, Marinette started walking, only for the alarms to start.  
"Tikki, spots on!" Marinette shouted, and took off towards the sounds of crashes. 

Alya woke up Monday morning excited to see the result of her post the night before. She'd worked with Lila all weekend to get it perfect and now the fruits of her labour would be sewn. She opened the blog and stopped. Yesterday, before posting the video, she'd had 675 followers. This morning, only 231 people were left. She scrolled to the comments.  
"Oh yes, I saved Jagged's non-existent cat, from his non-existent private jet, on a tarmac which civilians aren't allowed onto. And I came to Paris months after Ladybug started saving Paris, but I was supposed to be the original and I just recommended my friend instead!... Yeah right! Who the hell believes this crap? "

" my favorite line in this video is where she claims to have grown up as jagged stones favorite person, but doesn't even get his home city right!"

" oh ladybug totally loves chat, she just wants to keep it on the dl. {attachment} this video taken a couple weeks ago while chat threw a tantrum cause she refused to go on a date with him"

"Clara Nightingale and I were ACTUALLY in the same dance class, and I don't remember a sausage with a mouth being in that class" 

"if ladybug can heal her supposed tinnitus, why isn't she curing cancer?" 

The comments continued along that line when suddenly a loading error came up. Alya scowled and reloaded the page, only for a [401: error. The page you are trying to load no longer exists]. Alya paled.  
"No! No no no no no no no no!" she chanted as she tried to reload it, and then tried to go in to check the coding. Everything was shut down. Alya started to tear up. This couldn't be happening! She was sure Lila wasn't a liar. Marinette just didn't like not being the center of attention, just as Lila said. Marinette just, just this once, couldn't find the good in a person, but Alya could. Alya opened Google and looked up 'Jagged Stone pets', 'Jagged Stone cat', 'Clara Nightingale dance school', 'Prince Ali charity foundation', and finally 'Lila Rossi'. The only thing that came from the search was that Alya felt like a total idiot for not believing Marinette. And an Italian school site. She clicked it and had Google translate the page.  
"STUDENT COMMITS SUICIDE AFTER SEVERE CASE OF BULLYING" 

The name of the victim was never released, but schools in Italy were all warned about Lila Rossi. According to the article, this should be in her school files… Why did Mlle. Bustier not warn them? A knocking on the front door distracted Alya from her screen.  
"EXCUSE ME?!" Alya's mother screamed, and Alya bolted to the door. Her mother rounded on her the second she opened the door.  
"Alya! What is the meaning of this? You're being sued for misinformation and defamation and slander!" her mother continued, holding papers in the air and waving them about. Even still in her housecoat with messy hair, her mother struck a terrifying picture. Alya shrunk in on herself. There would be no sneaking out of this one. 

Rose looked at her phone again, her eyes dim and her head bowed. Phrases like "I have never heard of this girl before", and "if this is the type of persons you surround yourself with", "Perhaps I was mistaken in trusting you", and most hurtful of all "This is the last time you will hear from me" jumped out of the email at her from Prince Ali. She had been so excited in her last message to him, telling him how Lila had told her of their adventure together, and Lila was giving her such good advice on her singing, dancing, songwriting and more. Her email had burst with praise from and for Lila, and wanting to hear Ali's version of events as well. Usually he emailed back within a few hours, but this time it had taken over a week to hear back from him. In the email he had sent, was an attachment to Alya's interview of Lila and a short message, saying only that he had never met Lila Rossi, and he'd thought Rose was smarter than to believe everything she heard, and if she kept that kind of company and believed such outrageous lies then perhaps he shouldn't have contact with her anymore, since she was seemingly too gullible and too naïve to take his friendship seriously. Tears dripped down her cheeks onto her phone. Why was Marinette always right about these things. 

Jagged Stone watched the video that Marinette had sent to Penny on his big screen in his suite in Paris. He was not at all impressed with her obvious name dropping, made up stories of her greatness, and claiming he'd written a song about her. Marinette's short message of "Hi Penny, I understand you and Jagged are crazy busy, but this interview ended up on my friend's website, and I just couldn't ever remember Jagged mentioning a pet other than Fang. I've even looked at some older interviews where he said he'd hatched and raised Fang when Jagged was only 15! I have no idea where this girl is getting her information, but I didn't want you to think that all of Paris had completely lost their minds and thought this heads up might put you in a better space to deal with weird questions if they ever come up. - Love, Marinette"  
Jagged listened to the little chit on the screen claiming she'd received tinnitus from saving his cat. Geez! Did this girl have any idea the kind of implications this could have on his musical career?! The hell is wrong with kids today? And the girl interviewing her never even checked her sources? Poor Marinette, stuck with such complete idiots and liars. He really should try to talk Sabine into letting him take Marinette on tour with him. This was getting ridiculous. He frowned even harder when Clara Nightingale was accused of "being jealous and stealing" sausage girls dance moves. He started feeling his blood boil slightly as he distantly heard Penny shouting into a phone for lawyers and interviews and "gosh darn it, anyone but that idiotic French Anchor". He honestly wasn't sure which of them was more pissed. Himself or his fiancée. 

Clara Nightingale broke her phone on the far wall of her apartment. Two decades of dance and singing lessons, of poetry and practice and some little chit half her age thinks she can tell people that she stole it? Tears at the corners of her eyes, she was grateful Jagged had sent it to her with the assurance that Penny was already setting up interviews and lawyers. Thank Ladybug and all that is good for Marinette Dupain-Cheng. If she hadn't had the foresight to send this video to them, then there would have been absolute hell at their next public appearance. She glared at her broken phone on the floor. Steal her moves, did she? 

At 4am in Metropolis city, Lois rolled over and sleepily answered her phone.  
"Yes?"  
"I know it's early, Lois, but I have a job for you in Paris…" came from the other end. Louis bolted up in bed.  
"I'm listening"... 

To be contimued


	2. Cons of Being a Reporter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Paris is about 6 hours ahead of Metropolis . So if Marinette sent the message at say… 8 pm, and Jagged got it at 9 because he was at dinner, then getting lawyers straightened out and all that ...say Marinette starts school at 10 am, then it would be approximately 4am in Metropolis. It would be a 7 hour flight, meaning she'd leave at noon on Monday, and arrive at 2am on Tuesday.

**Tuesday 2AM Paris**

  
Lois was as excited as she was exhausted. Paris! She'd always wanted to go to Paris. As her taxi drove her past the Louvre and she could see the Eiffel tower in the distance, she couldn't help but remember the call she received yesterday.

  
"I know it's early, Lois, but I have a job for you in Paris" Bruce said from the other line.

  
"I'm listening."

  
"The satellites from the Tower have been picking up irregularities. Burning buildings, the Eiffel Tower toppled or completely missing, then the next pass everything is normal. Hal even claims he saw a giant baby on cams once. I've gone over all the pictures of the last year, a couple of weeks ago there… I can't explain it. I'll send you the images and we'll try to find a believable cover story for going in the middle of the school year like this"

"I understand, thank you Bruce. I'll book the earliest flight I can." Burning buildings? The Eiffel tower toppled? Nothing had been said in the news. If something on a grand scale like that were happening, they would already know.

"Thank you, Lois. I will of course pay for your accommodations while there," Bruce offered. A consolation for sending her around the globe for film effects.  
She barely got a "thank you" out, before he hung up. She flopped back onto the bed, Clark raising an eyebrow at her. Of course he'd heard both sides of the conversation, so he obviously had his own opinion to share.

"Well? What do you think?" she asked him. If Clark gave it some weight, she might take it more seriously.

"A video was sent by the Mayor of Paris about a year ago, asking for help because his city was being overrun by stone monsters and their only hope lay with a couple of kids. I watched it and it looked like some cheap special effects and deleted it like the other publicity stunts people pull. Diana was the one to notice the inconsistencies with the Eiffel tower, and she swears she saw a couple kids flying on rooftops. It's why Bruce started investigating. But he has no reason to be in Paris at all, since Wayne Enterprises doesn't have an hq there, and he wants to save that excuse for if there IS any trouble. Anyways, try to enjoy your little vacation while you're there" Clark smiled.

"... Does Bruce know the mayor called for Justice League intervention?" Lois asked slowly. This… Was… Not… happening.

"No? I mean, just some publicity stunts, Lois. We get 20 of them a day" Clark dismissed. Lois was beyond words so she got up and started packing, and turned on her civilian phone to call for a flight. Before she could get dialing she got a call incoming.

"Penny? Is everything okay? WHAT? YES! Of course I do! That's huge! Yes, let me just call my boss…. Oh? Oh wow! Thank you! Yes, I'll see you tonight… Or I guess tomorrow for you…yes. I understand. Thank you" Lois couldn't believe her luck. She grabbed her JL phone and called Bruce.

"Bruce! I've got a cover! I've been asked by an old college friend to interview her client and a few others on Parisian TV. Yes, totally legit, she just called me… Penny Rolling. Yes, yes Bruce! I will keep my eyes open. Did you know the Mayor tried to call for JL intervention a year ago? No? Clark told me there was a video but thought it was a publicity stunt. Maybe try to find it and give me a heads up… okay… Thank you Bruce. That'll be perfect! I'll get to the bottom of this… Okay, thank you."  
Finally done with the update she rushed to call the airline.

" NOON?!"

Before she could take in the breathtaking view any longer, the cab stopped. Lois paid the fare and stepped out and looked up. It was a beautiful hotel, owned by Mayor Bourgeois. The cabbie was loading her bags onto a trolley with a Bellhop waiting stoically by the doors. Just as Lois went to inquire about Penny, the door opened and out she came.

"You cut your hair!" Lois exclaimed, giving her friend a hug and a LA Bise.

"You, my beautiful ginger, are late! Had you arrived a few hours earlier you would have had quite the show!" Penny said with a smile. She'd always been jealous of Lois's hair.

"It's Paris, Penny. How exciting could it possibly be?" Lois asked jokingly, wondering just what her visit here would truly reveal.

**MONDAY 10AM PARIS**

Ladybug flew over buildings in the direction of the explosions. She really wished she'd had a chance to see the classroom before leaving to see if she would have to once again go up against Alya. Or Lila.

Maybe if she was lucky it would be another unfortunate soul altogether. One she hopefully didn't know personally. Because it was starting to really take a toll on Ladybug, every time she came face to face with a friend or loved one.

Before she was ready she was at the scene. And she was shocked. The Akuma of the day was a barely visible outline of a woman. She had a flowy garment on and only became visible when she touched a person. The person would immediately admit to bad deeds, anything from finishing the ice cream container to more horrible crimes.  
Ladybug watched as a couple hid behind a vehicle to escape the fate, only for the akuma to lift and throw the car, one handed, into another vehicle, creating another explosion. The akuma drifted ghost like towards the couple and became fully corporeal as she touched them, first the man ("I tapped your phone! I hated how much time you spent always going out!" he blurted out) then the woman ("I can't stand being with you!" she screamed back). Ladybug swallowed. This was not good. A non corporeal being with the strength of ten men and the ability to… Spill secrets? Ladybug wasn't sure, but didn't want to get too close before she had the full story. She went to grab her yo-yo to call Chat, only for him to pop up, baton swinging.

"What have we here? Another scary movie victim?" Chat asked, drawing all eyes to them. Ladybug wanted to scream. Or toss him off the building. Once! Just. ONCE!

"I… am Guilty Conscience. That voice that should tell you not to do bad… It Is too quiet in most people's heads. So therefore I shall make you scream your misdeeds to the world. No longer shall there be hiding behind white lies for innocence" the ghost whispered, yet to Ladybug she may as well have screamed.

"Che, you're out of your league! I have a picture perfect record!" Chat smirked, ever brash and fearless. Without a second thought, he jumped off the building towards the ghostly form. And just as Ladybug predicted, went right through her. She did not become solid upon contact with a human unless she so chose to. Great…

"Chat! Fall back, we need a plan!" Ladybug called, stepping back from the roof and readying her yo-yo.

"Just lucky charm her and we can go out for coffee!" Chat yelled back, swinging his baton uselessly through GC. Ladybug shook her head. She was almost 90% sure they'd need more backup.

"Lucky Charm!" she cried, throwing her yo-yo high. Down fell a teapot. Back up it is, she sighed.

"Chat! Fall back, I'm going for backup!" she called out again.

"Awe, but M'lady, I thought I was the only one you needed in your life!" she was sure he thought he sounded charming. She cringed.

"Not now Chat. I'll be back in a while, keep her from following me but keep your distance. No need to waste your energy for now."  
Had she looked down, or paid more attention to her surroundings, she may have seen Lila hiding in an alley not far from the akuma. She may have noticed her trying to follow her. She may even have taken another route to get where she was going. Later she would regret not being more vigilant.

Ladybug landed across from Master Fu’s massage parlor and ran inside. Master Fu was waiting, the box open in front of him and he nodded at her. She grabbed what she needed, and he raised an eyebrow at the amount. 

“Are you sure?" 

Marinette nodded, she wasn’t sure why yet, but she felt it would be necessary. She left, transforming a block away and rushing to find the intended holders. She would wish with every fibre of her being that she had paid more attention to her surroundings. For if she had, she would have seen the calculating smirk on Lila’s face as she texted the address to Natalie Sanceur. 

Instead, Ladybug ran towards the Seine, knowing she would find two of her temporary heroes there. When she landed near the Liberty, she saw Luka sitting on deck with his sister, both holding their guitars. 

"Luka and Juleka Couffaine. These are the Miraculi of the snake and the fox. With them you can become temporary heroes to aid in this fight. When the Akuma is cleansed, you will return these to me. Do you accept?” Ladybug held them out for them to take. Luka grabbed his like he always did, trusting in her plan. 

“ Sass, Scale Slither!” and with a blue light, Vipereon was ready. He looked to his sister with an encouraging smile and nod. Juleka picked up the necklace and Trixx appeared. 

“Hi! I’m Trixx, the Kwami of Illusion! Just say ‘Trixx, let’s pounce to transform. Mirage will activate your special power and you will have 10 minutes before your transformation fades!” Trixx smiled. 

“Ten?! But every one else has five! Even Rena!” Ladybug shouted. 

“But this one has a such a powerful connection to illusion. She sees through almost everything, including your mask!” Trixx replied, “The stronger the connection to our powers, the longer the transformation will hold!”

“But that… So Chat and I don’t have proper connections to our Kwami?” she asked. There was a villain out there, but this felt important. 

“Well, you and Chat are different. You work in connection with each other and so follow the lead of the weakest link. If it were you and another proper match, you’d be limitless with your combined strength, but Chat is a weak match. He may be able to grow stronger with Plagg someday, but there is something keeping him from filling his potential. Either way, you are not the problem, Ladybug” Trixx explained quickly. Ladybug nodded and looked to Juleka. 

“Trixx, Let’s Pounce” she whispered. Transformed, her hair had taken orange tips and had been pinned back into a complicated crown around her head. The suit was mimicked after a Cozumel fox, with small rounded ears and a white shirt tucked into black leather pants and a furry grey coat with orange accents around the collar, and black knee high orange boots. The flute formed in her hand and when she looked at Ladybug she looked through a grey and white mask. Ladybug smiled and sent them towards the Akuma, but to stay out of sight until the rest of the Miraculi had been distributed. With that, they all took off, Ladybug towards the Bourgeois hotel, and Vipereon and Rusé towards the Eiffel tower. 

Ladybug landed on the Chloe’s balcony and tapped once on the glass door. It swung wide open and Chloe looked like she might pee her pants in excitement. Ladybug looked her in the eye, “Chloe Bourgeois, this is the Miraculous of subjugation. With it, you can become a temporary hero to aide in this fight. When the Akuma is cleansed, you must return this to me. Your identity must be kept a secret, as it is now, everyone will know it is you. I ask you, if you accept this responsibility, to choose a new name and be the hero I know you can be. Can I trust you?” Ladybug looked ready to take off and find another hero, but also couldn’t waste the time to do that. Chloe became serious and nodded. 

“ I will always have your back, Ladybug” Chloe said. She took the Miraculous and when she opened the box, the comb changed to a pair of earrings. Chloe put them in and Pollen popped out. 

“My Queen! It’s so good to see you again!” Pollen rushed. 

“Pollen, we need a new look. Something no one will trace back to me” Chloe said carefully. Pollen grinned and nodded. Chloe smiled. 

“Pollen! Bug on!" 

Chloe looked phenomenal, Ladybug could admit. Her bangs were pinned on the top of her head, her hair was left down. Her suit was darker than before, mostly black with golden accents on her boots and gloves, with silvery wings landing like a flat Cape on her back. 

"Vespa, ready for action!” she said. 

“Head to Eiffel tower, but stay out of sight. Vipereon and Rusé should already be there waiting. I’ll be back with the other two as soon as I can.”

Vespa nodded and took off. Now Ladybug had a decision to make. Trust Nino again with his Miraculous or pass it on to a more worthy hero. And she had to find Kagami too. She clutched the Miraculi. Without direction, she took off East, just swinging around. 

From the corner of her eye she saw a girl, maybe her age,she had a short pixie cut with sharp brown eyes, leading a group of people into an apartment. She ushered them in, but a boy on the other side of the street was crying, separated from his parents and lost. The girl took off, running across the street and held the boy tight, shushing him and telling him he’d be okay. She took him back across the street and was just ushering him in ahead of her when the Akuma turned the corner. The girl quickly slammed the door shut behind the boy and took off running down the block. Chat showed up a moment later, distracting Guilty Conscience and Ladybug took off towards the civilian. 

“That was very brave of you” she said to the girl, slumped over in an alley. Closer now, Ladybug looked at her closely. She wore a pair of black jeans and a green t-shirt. Her hair had blond streaks throughout the brown. She jumped and looked up. Sharp, brown eyes looked at Ladybug, “What’s your name?" 

"Marlene. Seely” she introduced herself, holding out her hand. Ladybug nodded and instead held out a box. 

“Marlene Seely, this is the Miraculous of Protection. With it you can become a temporary hero to help in this fight. When the Akuma is cleansed, you will give the Miraculous back to me. Can I trust you?” Ladybug asked. Marlene was shocked. Her? A hero? She gulped and reached out slowly to take the box. A green flash revealed a small turtle floating in front of her. She slapped a hand over her mouth to contain her shriek. 

“Hello, I am Wayzz. I will help you to become a hero. Your power is called Shelter, and you will have 10 minutes of use before your transformation fades and you revert back to your civilian form. To activate the Miraculous, merely say 'Wayzz, Shell On’ and you shall transform” Wayzz stated. Marlene nodded and put the bracelet on her right arm. 

“Wayzz, shell on” she said, strength in her voice but fear in her eyes. When transformed, she wore a green leotard with knee high black boots and a tight black leather jacket. Her shield was a small black disk and when she clicked a button it expanded to fit over her whole back. Clicking it again it shrank back down and clicked onto her arm. Ladybug nodded. 

“Go to the Eiffel tower and wait with the other heroes there. I have one more person to find and then we can finish this." 

She took off again to find Kagami. This would be so much easier if Kagami just went to their school. Unfortunately that was not the case, and outside of fencing practice, Ladybug had almost no chance to find her. Ladybug luck was on her side today, for as she swung by her bakery, she saw Kagami running towards the school. She swung down in front of her. Kagami looked up and nodded, holding out her hand. Ladybug handed her the Miraculous and together they took off towards the Eiffel Tower. 

Once together, Ladybug laid out the plan. 

"Vespa and Rusé will be instrumental in the take down. Vipereon, Ryouko, as the two most experienced fighters, I leave them in your hands but don’t leave out… ” she looked to Marlene. How had she missed that? 

“Shild." 

"Shild. She has a ten minute timer and I plan on making full use of it” Ladybug said. She gave some more directions before jumping off to the fight. 

“Chat, fall back and take a rest. We’ve got it from here!” Ladybug shouted, jumping down and surrounding Guilty Conscience. They dodged her hands when she came near but nobody could capture her. When GC came too close to Ladybug, Chat Noir quickly jumped in front of her. 

“ Tell me… ” whispered through his head and he slumped. 

“I hate my father because he is so controlling. I hate that I had to sneak out of the house just to go to school, I hate that I have people constantly fawning over me without getting to know me, I…" 

"Second Chance!” Vipereon called, and when GC for them, Vipereon tackled Chat out of the way. He reached for Ladybug as well, but his hand grasped hers just as GC’s did. 

“I never wanted to be a hero. I feel horrible when I have to lie to protect my identity because I hate liars. I wish I had never met the Master or been picked to be Ladybug, or had managed to give the Miraculous away before I got too serious. I hate what this has turned me into, I wish I could go back to just being Marinette… ” LadybugLadybug couldn’t stop and when she said her name, the whole team gasped. Vipereon cursed. What had he done? Ryouko created a wind tunnel, surrounding GC and Vipereon picked up Marinette and Chat Noir, landing on a roof. Rusé called on Mirage, making it look like they hadn’t moved and Vespa positioned herself right behind GC. When Rouko finished, GC went for the illusions and Vespa struck, immobilizing her. Shild did the search for the Akumatized object, a phone in her hand and broke it. Vipereon captured it in Ladybug’s yo-yo and forced her to cleanse it, trying to get her to say anything but how she guilty she felt about not wanting to continue the bakery. Shild stepped in and smacked Ladybug across her face, snapping her out of her haze. Ladybug nodded, set free the butterfly, and looked down. She threw her yo-yo up and built up a Miraculous Cure. Feeling normal again she looked at everyone there before taking off without a word to anyone. 

Reaching Master Fu’s, her heart broke. The place was completely ransacked. And Master Wu was nowhere to be seen.

To be Continued…


	3. The Cons of having your Identity revealed

Sitting in the apartment that Penny had taken her to, Lois was gobsmacked. She watched the footage taken by both the local news station and a blogger and an amateur "journalist". She watched it again just to be sure she'd seen it properly. She turned to Penny, Penny's client Jagged Stone and his fiancée, Clara Nightingale. Piled on the floor in a corner, on pillows and blankets, were a group of teenagers, all surrounding a single black haired girl.   
"As soon as I saw the video I got her parents out of the country. They couldn't wait for her and we couldn't let Hawkmoth, whoever he may be, find her earrings" Jagged stated, looking over his shoulder to pile up.   
"She's been under so much stress. She's only thirteen" Penny sighed. The three adults looked so tired. 

Marinette stood by the broken window by the store when she heard the police sirens in the distance. Fear gripping her heart she turned and ran down a few side alleys to hide.   
"What do I do, Tikki? Master Fu is… And everyone knows who I am!" her head clutched in her hands and her whole body shaking, Marinette had no idea what to do.   
"You need to calm down. Nothing good will come of this if Hawkmoth Akumatizes you right now. First, call your parents. We'll go from there" Tikki whispered.   
"Okay, okay… I can do this" Marinette whispered, pulling her phone out and dialing the bakery. When no one answered she tried their personal cells and the house phone. No answer. Marinette paled further with every call that wasn't answered. Finally pulling the phone from her ear she looked blankly at it.   
"Now what?" her voice cracked, tears gathering in the corner of her eyes.   
"Marinette! There you are!" her head snapped up, her body falling into a crouch. Standing at the entrance to the alley was Luka Coffaine.   
"Marinette, listen to me. We need to get you to a safe place to make a plan. Please, you trusted me with Sass, now trust me with you!" he called, waving her over. What else could she do? With Tikki back in her purse she ran off to Luka's side. Three blocks later and a phone call to Juleka had Chloé, Juleka, Kagami and Marlene meeting up. Chloe dragged them into a backdoor of her hotel and into her room. While Chloe went into her closet to find a disguise for Marinette, and Luka and Marlene sat with her to keep her calm, Kagami went back down a few floors to find someone who might be able to help. Knocking on the door, she pulled herself upright. 'No weaknesses now Tsurugi' she thought as the door opened.   
"No autographs," a woman in a dress suit and pink hair said, not looking at Kagami and going to close the door again. Kagami was quicker, slamming her hand on the door,"Marinette needs help!" she said. Everything in the hall became still. The door opened and Penny Rolling finally looked at the girl before her. In a black skirt, red blouse and white cardigan, with black hair and brown eyes. If it weren't for the eyes, Penny might have thought she was Marinette's sister.   
"Talk. You have 60 seconds before I call hotel security."   
"Her identity was revealed today, and I know I saw the blogger and a news anchor close by. She can't reach her parents and we don't know who else to call. She trusts you and I know you're close with her family. She needs to get out of Paris. We know Hawkmoth is after her, and by the look on Chat's face, nobody is sure what he'll do. We brought her here, but we need help. Paris should never have been left in the hands of kids" Kagami spat out quickly. She'd been so proud when she'd been chosen, but right now? Now she hated whoever had given the Miraculi out to kids. What could any of them do? They had no idea where to start with a plan, and their leader, the one to make the plans usually, was too emotionally compromised to do anything but breathe right now. What to do? Who to trust?   
"I already took care of Sabine and Tom. They're on a trip to visit family in Shanghai" Jagged Stone stood behind Penny now, a hand on her shoulder, "We will get dressed and take her to a safe place in Paris. Penny has a contact from the US on the way already. We will wait for her to land. If we can get the Bourgeois girl involved, we may be able to get Marinette out to safety until the heat dies down" his voice was strong, Soothing and Kagami felt the tension leave her for the first time.   
"We're in Chloé's room now, so I think we can count on her cooperation. But you need special access to get in."  
Nodding Jagged looked at her, "Wait inside the main room, but make sure Marinette doesn't answer her phone for anything. I mean it, no other people should talk to her until we get her and her parents to safety" Jagged said as he walked to his room. Kagami quickly pulled out her phone and let Luka know. Luka fired back with a picture of Marinette wearing a ripped pair of black jeans and converse and a grey off the shoulder t shirt saying "awkward is my specialty" and a pair of dark sunglasses that covered most of her face. A red wig finished the transformation into someone who wouldn't be recognized. Kagami chewed her lip as she wondered if Jagged Stone wouldn't ruin things. Just as she thought that, the door to Jagged's room opened and out stepped an unrecognizable business man, with long black hair freshly washed and tied at the nape of his neck and a simple black suit, his tie loosened and the top button undone. Kagami blinked, then blinked again just to make sure she wasn't seeing things. Out of the opposite door came Penny, fuzzy long brown hair, jeans and a tank top and a sleek leather jacket, Kagami could hardly believe these were the same people. She texted Luka to meet them in the lobby and led the way there herself. When Clara Nightingale opened the door to her apartment, Kagami didn't even pretend to be shocked. Of course Marinette knew them all. 

Lois heaved a heavy sigh, before pulling out her Justice League phone.   
"Bruce? We have a problem"... 

To be Continued…


	4. The Class Then

Adrien smiled, satisfied that Marinette hadn’t done anything. He shook his head, ‘really, what could she have done?’ he asked himself. Marinette was a great girl and had designed for or worked with a few famous people, but he doubted that they even remembered a lowly baker’s daughter. He sure didn’t remember most of his fans. He shrugged. Alya really should have just fact checked. Probably an over-zealous fan that sent it to one of the actors mentioned. Marinette also wouldn’t do anything that could hurt Alya. He got to the class and stopped short at the door. There were a lot of long faces in there.   
Alya was sobbing into Nino’s shoulder.  
Rose was quietly heaving into Juleka’s shoulder as well. Not so much sobbing, but still very upset.   
Max sat tense, glaring at his phone, looking like he might set it on fire.  
Kim glared ahead at the bored.  
Mylene, for once, looked stronger than all the class and like she might punch somebody.   
Adrien was confused. As far as he knew or remembered, only Alya had a real reason to be this upset. He frowned.  
“Nino? What’s going on? Why is everyone so upset?” Adrien asked, completely lacking the social understanding to perhaps ask someone else. Who wasn’t holding their+  
3 crying girlfriend. Nino just glared at him.  
It was Alix who answered, “Seriously Adrien? Read the fucking mood. And to answer your question, Lila Fucking Rossi.”  
“I don’t understand. What did Lila do?” Adrien asked, passing over the first comment. He just wanted answers.   
“Marinette was right. Like always, she was right. Lila is a liar, and a bad liar at that. We were idiots and all fell for it. Rose lost her friendship with Prince Ali because she bought Lila’s tales. Alya is being sued for slander. Mylene and Ivan contributed to her “go green” projects, only for none of them to be legit. Max is being investigated by the school for letting Kim cheat off him and Kim got kicked off the team for it. Then the school NERD club got wind of the napkin incident and apparently even Superman and Wonder Woman can’t throw a napkin hard enough to take out somebody’s eye. And me? I was told I would be meeting pro skater Esmee Visser. We should have listened to Marinette” Alix shook her head. Mari had warned them. Warned them not to cheat, not to listen to Lila, to work their own way up. Marinette always worked so hard but made it all look so easy.   
The whole class bowed their heads. Mylene had ended her friendship with Marinette on Tuesday the week before, because Marinette had suggested that she and Ivan not give their combined 400 Euros to Lila’s charity. This morning, Mylene had seen the news coverage of over fifteen people suing Lila Rossi and by extension, Alya Cesaire, for slander, defamation and theft. Lila had been going around getting things put onto tabs for famous people to pay off, claiming she was a niece, goddaughter or assistant.   
They waited for Marinette or Lila to come into the class. Marinette so they could apologize. Lila so they could beat her up. When the warning bell rang, and Ms. Bustier entered the room, nobody even batted an eye. When the last bell rang, and Marinette still wasn’t there, they worried. When the sound of a car being tossed through a building reached their ears, the students evacuated.   
Alya rushed to the scene. The Ladyblog may be shut down, but she could start fresh. Maybe Ladybug would even call on Rena Rouge! When she got to the scene, Vipereon was hidden on a building with… was that… a new fox? Alya almost started crying again. Another hero made her way there. A new bee, it looked like. And another, a new turtle too. When Ladybug arrived with the dragon, the team huddled for a minute before breaking apart to fight. Alya snuck closer as she watched Guilty Conscience coming at the heroes.   
“I never wanted to be a hero. I feel horrible when I have to lie to protect my identity because I hate liars. I wish I had never met the Master or been picked to be Ladybug or had managed to give the Miraculous away before I got too serious. I hate what this has turned me into, I wish I could go back to just being Marinette…”  
Alya gasped. Oh! OH! She shut off her video and turned. She’d wanted to earn back her title as a journalist. But not like this. She ran back to her apartment. Not like this.   
As Tuesday morning dawned, the class was sitting together again. Adrien kept looking at the door expectantly. If Chat Noir payed a visit to the bakery last night, no body would know. Namely because nobody was there. Adrien’s foot bounced. The minute she walked through the door; he would confess to her.   
Nino looked sideways at Adrien. He knew his boy was a bit starstruck with Ladybug. Did he really expect her to come to school, though? Nobody seemed to notice that Juleka was also missing.   
Class started, only to be interrupted again when the principle announced all classes should turn on their TVs to the news.   
“Good Morning Paris. We interrupt your scheduled programming to bring you breaking news,” on the screen was Lois Lane, world renowned reporter. “This morning, the Mayor of Paris was able to welcome for the first time, Justice League Members Batman and Wonder Woman, to Paris. Already, the world’s greatest detective is solving the matter of ‘who is Hawkmoth?’ and ‘where is he hiding?’. The investigation was started early this morning and is still ongoing now, however, the heroes are confident the matter will be resolved by end of day today. League intervention is also being given to the local Parisian heroes, who are being folded into the League system. The now dubbed Miracle Team will be receiving regular training and adult supervision from the American Heroes. On other news… One moment please. We are now going live to the traffic copter, which has caught sight of Wonder Woman storming a mansion in the heart of Paris. Jean, what can you tell us about the current situation?”   
“Thank you, Lois! I am here, on scene as Wonder Woman storms the Agreste Mansion. Parisian’s will remember that Monsier Agreste was Akumatized as the Collector a few months ago. He certainly isn’t putting up any fight, it looks like. And there is Nathalie Sancour. Both are coming out with their hands up. It looks like Monsiour Agreste is doing all the talking. Ms. Sancour is going down in what appears to be a coughing fit! Police is also arriving on the scene. An arrest has been made. I repeat. An arrest has been made! A police car is pulling off, and looks to be heading to Francois-Dupont, commonly dubbed the Akuma school. If I am not mistaken, it is the same school that Gabriel Agreste’s only son, Adrien Agreste attends! AH, one moment. It looks like Wonder Woman is going into the mansion. Paramedics are also pulling up on scene. Ms. Sancour is being taken into an ambulance, but the other set of paramedics is running into the mansion as well. Is that?! It is! Lois, and watchers, for those of you who do not know, this is Emilie Agreste, the wife of Gabriel and mother of Adrien. She went missing and was declared dead three years ago. Paramedics are now rushing her prone body to the ambulance…”  
The news continued, but the class was distracted by the door being thrust open. Officer Raincomprix and his partner entered.  
“Adrien Agreste, you are under arrest for suspicion on working with Hawkmoth. You have the right to remain silent. Everything you say can and will be used against you” the officer stated, placing the cuffs on a stunned Adrien Agreste. His mouth hung open. What…? And then he heard the whispers.  
“He was supposed to start school the day of the first Akuma…”  
“Always defending the bully…”   
“Never there during attacks…”  
He shook his head mutely. NO! He was a hero!   
The class watched mutely. Two in two days. 

*!!* 

Because he was a minor and could prove, behind closed doors, that he was in fact Chat Noir, Adrien was acquitted and sent to live with his Aunt Amilie and Cousin Felix Graham de Vanily. He took off the Miraculous ring. Plagg had told him Ladybug would need her cat. So, he put the ring in the mail to be sent off to Wilhelm with a letter explaining everything. He heard through the news that the Dupain-Cheng family had left Paris in a rush. Nobody was quite sure where they went, though most guessed to China. When he landed in London, Adrien had no idea what to expect. He hadn’t seen Felix since his mother’s funeral. He had also heard that Felix’s father had died not long ago. Felix and Amilie greeted him at the airport with smiles. He smiled and dared to hope. 

*!!* 

Alya watched the footage of Marinette revealing herself again. She sighed. Adrien Agreste was publicly deemed innocent and sent away. Lila Rossi, while facing several lawsuits, was only being sent to a remedial school at the outskirts of Paris. Lila’s mother, who had been akumatized as Guilty Conscience, almost lost her job. As it was now, diplomatic immunity was the only thing keeping her from being investigated further for child neglect. Alya was still facing the law herself, but being a minor, she was only facing some fines and heavy warnings, but otherwise she was also grounded until she was eighteen. Her parents were disappointed, her sisters avoided her most of the time. School had become her only escape. But even there was no escape from everything that had happened. Marinette was no longer there, and Ms. Bustier was under investigation for the amount of Akumatizations in her class. Mr. Damoclese was as well, for mismanaged funding to the school. Turns out his Owl suit and “weapons” were being funded from donations to the school. The class was split up into different classes too. Divide and conquer. Alya sighed. They weren’t really allowed to interact with each other, for fear of it causing more trouble. But most of the other students didn’t want to interact with them either. Alya had never noticed it, but their class was isolated by the rest of the school. 

*!!* 

Luka sighed as he watched Marinette walk into the Zeta Tube, her head bowed. Paris had ruined Marinette. He brushed his hair back and looked at Juleka. The news had confirmed that Gabriel Agreste was Hawkmoth, but he had given his Miraculous to Nathalie to get rid of. They were pawned off to another party, but Gabriel had no idea who, and Nathalie went under and into a coma like Mrs. Agreste.  
The League told them that they would be receiving training and supervision, as there were Miraculous everywhere now. They would be needed to step in. Luka being the oldest was made the leader, despite not having the ladybug miraculous. He sighed. What a shit show. 

< ( ^ ^ ) >

Bruce closed the journal and replaced it in the secret compartment in the desk. He turned to the bed behind him, where his newest ward was fast asleep, tear tracks staining her young face. He wanted to rage at Diana and Clark. He’d petitioned to have Marinette live with him from the beginning, but had been denied because Diana’s mother had been a Ladybug. Reading about what Diana had done to the poor girl, all with good intentions but completely misguided, Bruce was ready to wage war. Marinette had been through emotional hell. He would make sure to do better by her. He swore then that he would give her a family.


	5. The Cons of Moving Away

Diana sighed as she hung up the phone.   
“Maria. Please come here.”  
Maria --- not Marinette, never again Marinette --- came to stand in front of her. Her blue/black hair was shorn close in a messy pixie cut now and her once expressive blue eyes had turned icy. She was in a simple black training leotard, having been in the middle of a series of training exercises, to eventually take up a mantle in the Justice League. The past year had been extremely hard on Maria, and it showed in her closed off expression and hunched shoulders. After her identity as Ladybug had been revealed and Clark had gotten a tongue lashing reminiscent of the first days of Conner, Batman and Wonder Woman had moved to in on Paris. With the hacking skills of Red Robin and Oracle it had been almost too easy to find Hawkmoth and Mayura, and it was a matter of hours to find their lair and arrest them. However, with the landing of the caped crusader, Hawkmoth --- rather Gabriel Agreste --- had known he had no time left. The Miraculi were pawned off on an unknown third party. Mrs. Agreste was brought to the hospital, with magic users such as Zatanna to look her over but no cure could be found. Gabriel was spending life in a prison in Southern France, Adrien sent to live with his mother’s sister in London. Natalie tragically succumbed to whatever illness had caused Mrs. Agreste’s coma. But Paris’ struggle was far from over, and Marinette’s had only just begun. The Miraculi box, ravaged and emptied, Master Fu unable to be found, and no leads to follow, the League pulled back from Paris, only occasionally sending adult supervisors and trainers for the Miracle Team (similar to how they had run the original YJ and TT teams). Marinette could not continue her mantle as Ladybug, and instead handed it over to Marlene. Unknowingly to the Team, Adrien also chose to hand his Miraculous over to someone he thought could be trusted. It resulted in a bad match that caused corruption in the holder and now the Miracle team dealt with not only Akuma, but a rogue cat. It seemed everything that could go wrong did, as new villains rose and the Miraculi were being sold off worldwide, wreaking havoc everywhere they popped up.   
Jagged Stone, better known as the Justice League’s civilian spy James, had taken Marinette to the airport to send her to her family, only to be told by them that they would not take her since they did not want to risk having to re-up root their lives or endanger their extended family. Jagged asked a favor from Batman and in the end, Diana volunteered to take Marinette in. While Jagged wished to do it, he was too obvious and constantly in the spotlight, and Marinette needed to disappear. With the help of Bruce and some questionable acquaintances of the league, Maria Fu came to be Diana’s adopted daughter in London.   
After Marinette had heard her mother condemning her, having to give up her miraculous and her life, Marinette closed in on herself. She knew she was a charity case. And while she threw herself into her training and tried her hardest to be of use, she never could trust herself to connect to Diana. This was a temporary solution. Either until she was of age or until she died. Diana tried her hardest to reach out to her. She tried to help her heal. But while Diana knew the feeling of being torn from her family, she knew nothing of being discarded. So, she trained Maria, had her homeschooled to avoid running into Adrien, and kept her out of the spotlight, allowing for her to slowly take on her new persona.   
Training was simple, consisting of martial arts, flexibility, and weapons. She was nothing special without a kwami to power up, so she needed to start at the basics. Diana taught her the best she could but being an Amazonian herself meant there wasn’t much she could teach her. So while she could teach Marinette to fight, to focus her emotions, Diana couldn’t help her to become her best self.   
She sighed. “Maria, I have just been on the phone with Bruce. He’s asking for someone to help him out for the next year. Being a non-powered human, he thought you might benefit from his tutelage” Diana said. She saw the very moment Marinette decided that she was just no longer wanted by Diana. She had wanted cared about Marinette and had tried to convince her she was not just a charity case, but all the work had just gone down the drain.   
“I understand. Thank you for your patience and tutelage” the words were detached and precise, in a London accent.   
“You are not being pawned off or loaned around, Maria” Diana said again. She meant it.   
“Thank you for your patience, Diana” Marinette whispered, turning on her heel to go to her room. She needed to pack.   
Diana just sighed again. Dammit.


	6. The Cons of Being a Charity

Marinette stepped off the plane in Gotham on a cold autumn day. She received her luggage and stepped to the reception area. An elderly man in a well tailored suit held a sign with “Maria Fu” printed neatly onto it. There was no sign of Bruce, but after looking up his civilian life, she understood why. Keeping steady, she walked towards him, her passport in hand.   
“Good afternoon, sir. I am Maria” she showed her passport and looked at him expectantly.  
“Good afternoon Ms. Maria. I am Alfred Pennyworth, the Wayne family butler. Master Bruce sends his apologies for not greeting you in person, however a board meeting kept him at the company” Alfred stated, holding his hand out to take her luggage.  
“I understand. There is no need to carry my luggage. I packed lightly” Maria pulled her luggage tighter. She didn’t expect to be staying long.  
“As you will. The car is this way.”  
She thought she might have cabbed just as easily to get there. The car by the front of the airport was thankfully discreet, but she had seen enough people with their phones out. She wondered briefly about their fascination with her. She hoped this did not put her in the spotlight.   
The drive through Gotham city was quiet in the car, but lively outside. People walked in a rush to their destinations, heads down and hands in pockets to protect their valuables. Children were running through the crowds, trying to find an unprotected pocket to pick. The homeless were scattered around the city, sitting, sleeping and walking aimlessly. Marinette looked out the window sadly. What a depressing sight.   
As they pulled out of the city to the richer area, Marinette pulled her emotions tighter to her core. The fourteen year old in her wanted to squeal about the amazing houses and the architecture. The part of her that remained stubbornly “Marinette” wanted to pull a sketchbook out to design.   
They pulled into the largest manor on the top of a large hill. Marinette almost scoffed. ‘Haunted House much?’ She hopped out of the car before Alfred could come to a stop and walked around the vehicle to take her luggage. Alfred merely opened the door to the manor and walked in “I will lead you to your room and allow you some time to settle in. I will retrieve you for supper and give you a tour of the facilities. Please allow me to be the first to say ‘Welcome to Gotham’” Alfred said with a calm smile.   
“Thank you.” 

Five hours later found Marinette dressed simply, ignoring the dresses provided in her closet, and following Alfred to the dining room. “Master Bruce sends his apologies that he will not be able to join you for supper tonight, as an incident requiring his… expertise arose in downtown. He will begin your training in the morning”  
“Of course. Thank you Mr. Alfred.”

< ( ^ ^ ) >

Bruce P. O. V.   
He felt bad for not being there to greet the new member of his team. He really did. But experience with orphans had taught him that they needed time to settle in and get used to their new living space. She had a room in the family wing, between Damien and Cassandra. When he finally arrived back in the early hours of the morning it was to Alfred’s frown.   
“With all due respect, Master Bruce, this is not a common orphan.”   
“That does not mean her situation is unique. She needs time to adjust. Give it a week or two to get used to living with us. Besides, Diana had a close relationship with Maria from the way she spoke of her. I do not mean to insert myself into what may already be a stable parental situation and confuse her” Bruce said, changing from his Bat-suit.  
“Diana was also the first to ask you to work your orphan magic on Maria as she doesn’t feel like she has a place now. Do not make the same mistake with her as you did with Jason.”   
“Look, I understand the situation is a bit more difficult. But Cass took to us this way as well, how different can they all really be?”

<(**)>

Marinette’s POV  
Marinette woke at 6 A. M. A year living under Diana’s strict schedule had lent to her being able to rouse early --- even if it did not fix her insomnia, at least now she was able to wake up. She dressed in an outfit meant to seem professional, printed a few sheets and went downstairs for breakfast.  
“Good Morning Miss Marinette. Did you sleep well?” Alfred greeted her, offering a pile of pancakes to her.  
“Good Morning Mr. Alfred. Thank you. I was wondering if there was a bus system to get to downtown from here?” Marinette asked as she forced a single drier-than-dust pancake down her gullet. Was all American food this… tasteless? Perhaps she just had high standards from… from before.   
“I would be happy to drive you wherever you wish to go this morning. Master Bruce wishes to start training at 10 hundred hours this morning. A bus may not allow you the time to get back.”  
Marinette frowned. She had gotten up early just to avoid needing a ride. “Perhaps you can pick me up at 9 then. To allow me time to change and stretch.”  
Alfred frowned. What was she up to?


	7. The Cons of being Proactive

Marinette walked into the fourth café for the day. This one was attached to the Wayne Enterprise building and had an exit into the building proper for employees. She saw many other teenagers within, paper coffee cups clutched for dear life with tablets and laptops out in front of them. She walked to the counter, “Good Morning. Is there a chance I could speak to the manager, please? I saw a help wanted sign on the front window and would like to leave my resume with him.”  
“Oh, you seem familiar, have we met?” the barista asked kindly as she waved to a lady in her early 30’s.  
“I’m afraid I just moved here from London.”   
“Ah, allow me to handle this, Krista. I would be overlooking her resume before hiring her anyway” a gentleman behind her said. He was a handsome chocolate skinned man, with kind brown eyes and was dressed in an expensive looking suit. He smiled with his whole face, his eyes twinkling as though he was part of some inside joke. “Follow me, Miss….”   
“Maria, sir. Maria Fu” Marinette held out her hand. His smile softened even more and shook her hand. He gestured with his other hand and led her to an unused table. Once seated, she offered her resume, only her schooling and “family bakery experience” able to be used, as she couldn’t offer up her past volunteer experience, nor could she offer references.  
“Hm. Normally I would not allow you to work here without proper references, even from your teachers. However, I also happen to be close to the owner of the company, and know that he just yesterday took in a new ward…” he trailed off, looking at her over the top of the paper. Marinette smoothed her face.  
“Why, may I ask, is the newest ward of a multi-billionaire trying to find work? Especially with the…special circumstances of night shifts” the man asked.  
“I will be aging out of the system sooner or later. I want to make sure I am capable of at least making it through life on my own, before the inevitable happens” Marinette stated, though she was looking at her battle hardened and sewing scarred hands.   
“Very well, you start this afternoon, at 3pm. I assume you will be done with school by then?”  
“As far as I am aware, I will remain homeschooled. I am close to finishing my High School diploma either way, and there is no need for me to be placed into a classroom setting at this point. Thank you for your faith in me, Mr…”  
“Fox. Lucius Fox. Krista will expect you at 3 PM for your orientation” he stood and held out his hand. She shook his hand, smiled and left. Step one of her plan, complete.   
She walked a few blocks to the Gotham Library before taking out her Wayne phone and calling Alfred with another 15 minutes to spare. He arrived and they drove quietly back to the manor. Once there she changed into her training outfit before following Alfred to the cave entrance. 

< ( >< ) >

Alfred’s POV  
After Marinette left to catch a cab to town, siting going to the library, Alfred went to the cave to track her. Sipping his tea, he sat at the computer and frowned when Marinette actually did get off at the library. Hm. He became more suspicious though when after 3 hours of no movement, she called to pick her up. He frowned. He left to pick her up and frowned more when her tracker finally moved again. Where had she gone? What was she doing? Perhaps tracking the traffic cams? He was pulling into the city proper when a call from Lucius Fox came through.  
“Mr. Fox. What can I do for you today?” Alfred asked, pulling over to the side, a block away from the library.  
“Would you care to explain to me why the newest Wayne ward was just here, applying for a job as a barista?” Lucius asked, voice soft.  
“Is that where she went? Hm. I told Master Bruce she was not like his other children. Thank you for letting me know, I will do my best to have her settle in better.”  
“My only tip is to not have her attend school formally. She seems extremely tense about it” Lucius suggested, before hanging up. Hm.

< ( ^ ^ ) >

Bruce POV  
Bruce awoke at 9 AM to a tray of breakfast and coffee at his side table. He ate light before heading to the cave to await his newest ward. He saw a tracker open on the screen and Alfred’s discarded tea cup. Seems like his new daughter went out for a while. Figuring he’d talk to Alfred after training, he turned off the screen and started stretching. Diana had filled him in that, while Maria was naturally flexible, she would need help to become more comfortable in the daily movements that may be required of her. He considered ballet. Mari---a, also took to martial arts in a defensive only way. Not good. He needed someone not scared to throw a punch so as to get himself out of the range of fire. Her weapons aim was impeccable though. She could shoot an arrow, a gun, wield a sword and a bo-staff. He nodded. Time to teach her aggression. When Alfred and Maria arrived, he stood and looked her over. Short cut black hair, simple black training leotard, wary blue eyes. She kept herself in a small pose, one arm held over the other, hanging loosely by her side, head slightly bowed to seem non-threatening. Not ideal for a Robin.   
“Welcome to Gotham, and to my home, Maria. I hope that you had a restful first night?” he asked, turning away to gather some materials.   
“Thank you.”  
Not a talker. Quiet, shy. Diana mentioned she suffered inadequacy issues. What to do, what to do. Best to go for the kill, and then back track once he had a better sense of her personality.  
“Diana mentioned that your training was progressing well, but that you had some issues with aggression and flexibility. The latter is something that can only be fixed in the long term, but the first… well, for someone who’s had so much fighting experience, I had hoped you wouldn’t be scared to throw a punch” Bruce said, handing her a fresh set of hand wraps for grappling.  
Marinette said nothing, head down as she expertly wrapped her hands. He sighed.  
“We’re going to work on your offensive fighting for the next few days. I can’t have a Robin that’s too scared to attack” Bruce tried again. ‘Come on… get riled up. Get angry.’  
Her head snapped up. ‘Yes!’   
“Is the current Robin renaming himself?” ‘She speaks!’  
“No. He is relocating and leading the Teen Titans for the time being. A Miraculous has taken up residence with Death Stroke in Jump City. He will be there indefinitely” Bruce said simply.  
“So would it not be confusing and also demystifying if you have two Robins? Besides, I doubt he would be happy to share the moniker with me” ‘Is she worried to offend…?  
“Demystifying?” he asked instead. This is good. Progress!  
“That Batman and Robin are eternal and immortal and do not age or change…?”   
He snorted. Really? Well… he did want to be a symbol…   
“And what do you suggest instead?”  
She hesitated again. Damn. He was about to open his mouth and suggest they wait until after the training session, but she looked up, “Knave.”   
Knave… because he was the Dark Knight? He smirked.  
“Very well. We will need measurements and a colour scheme. It will need to be eye catching” that might be harder than anticipated. Red was heavily over done, and Green wasn’t flashy enough… purple was taken…   
“Pink” she was looking at the display cases, “I like pink.”  
Pink… well, he could safely say they’d never used pink before. He nodded, making a gesture to Alfred to make it happen.  
“Well, let’s begin. Today you learn to punch.”

<(**)>

Marinette’s POV  
Four hours of training later, an exhausted, sweaty and starving Marinette dragged her sore and bruised body back to her room for a bath. What kind of torture was this? Groaning, she dropped onto her bed post bath and glared at the ceiling. She had to get to her orientation. Dammit. She peeled herself off the bed and got dressed in a pair of jeans and a white blouse. She’d grab a pastry at the café.   
\---- 8 hours later ---   
Nope. Nope, today did not happen, she decided. She stood by Krista’s side as she locked up the front door.   
“Do you have a ride coming to get you?” Krista asked. Gotham was far from safe at night.   
“Uhm…” Marinette didn’t really think about it. Her orientation was only supposed to last an hour and a half, but two of the evening staff had called in sick, and Marinette had been baptized by fire when she had been forced to the till. She hadn’t had time to call Alfred or Bruce, and had no idea if they would even be available right now, considering the time. Crap.   
“I was going to cab…” she finally settle on.   
“No need for that. I will take her” Bruce friggen Wayne said from behind them, standing next to an expensive looking car.   
“Oh, Mr. Wayne. No need for that, I don’t mind sharing a cab with her!” Krista smiled.   
A small frown formed. He sighed and smiled, hailing a cab. He leaned down to speak to the cab driver quickly before walking around and opening the door for them.   
“A safe trip home, both of you” Bruce said, raising an eyebrow at Marinette and giving her a ‘look’. Crap.   
The cab dropped Krista off, refusing payment as Bruce had payed already, before driving to the Manor. A car that followed far too closely came to a stop beside the cab. Bruce stepped out and grabbed the door handle for Marinette. Crap.  
He nodded to the cabby before placing a hand on Marinette’s shoulder and marching her into the manor.   
“That was an immensely stupid thing for you to do, Maria.”


	8. Cons of Being Caught

< ( ^ ^ ) >  
Bruce went for a quick shower. He wanted a few minutes to talk to Alfred before Maria joined them for lunch. As far as he had seen that Maria is a creative and tactical genius. Plans formed in her head faster than even he could keep up with and she was always a few steps ahead. But because she was so many steps ahead, she relied on that rather than getting physical with her opponent. Even Tim never pulled his punches. He admitted that he had been out smarted, but in cases like the Joker or Scarecrow, you also had to be physical.   
Deciding to focus on schooling instead, Bruce walked out of his bathroom and picked up his cell phone to call Gotham Academy. Sure, she was a few credits short of graduating, but he’d found that formal schooling went a long way with kids. Being around others their age and immerse themselves into the drama of day to day life had broken many an outer shell. He understood why that wasn’t an option in London, what with Adrien Agreste living just a few blocks over and attending the school Maria would have been in too, but here there was no connection to stop her. A knock on his door stayed his hand.  
“Master Bruce, a moment before lunch?” Alfred’s voice seeped through the door.  
“Of course, come in. I wanted your opinion with Maria either way. I was going to call GA to have her enrolled, and maybe introduce her to ballet or modern dance to help her with her flexibility. And the costume… I think pink and white instead of pink and black, to make her stand out more. I am also concerned about how quiet she is. Her old files said she was class president and vocal against bullies. Maybe she will regain some of that with being in a classroom…” Bruce rambled off, dressing without looking at his clothes.  
“About that, Mater Bruce,” Alfred finally interjected, “Miss Maria went out early this morning, as I am sure you noticed. She mentioned Gotham Library, and that is indeed where her tracker stayed, however I received a call from Mr. Fox, asking about why Maria was there and applying for work. Mr. Fox also seems to think that a formal classroom setting would put Maria more on edge.”  
‘What…? Okay brain, back up and start over….’ So she wants to work, okay. He personally did not believe that anyone under 18 should need to work, as they should be focusing on being a child and on their schoolwork. He knew from personal experience that many kids in Gotham worked part time. But 14… was a bit young. He frowned. And formal schooling causing anxiety? Well, sure but she would need to grow out of that eventually… then again… Bruce remembered that there had been complaints of severe bullying in her profile, so maybe not then. And she was about to graduate too, anyways. Finish her High school from home and allow her to take university classes, just like Tim. And working would allow her to socialize outside, without attending school. He nodded. Okay.   
“And the dancing?” He asked.   
“I believe that would be an excellent conversation to have with Maria” Alfred smirked. Ah, of course. No making decisions without the child’s in put. He could do that.   
“Best not to keep her waiting then, Alfred” Bruce placed his hand on Alfred’s shoulder and smiled at him as he passed to go downstairs.   
< ( >< ) >  
Alfred left the cave after thirty minutes to get started on making lunch. While the food was cooking, he chose to investigate Marinette Dupain-Cheng, rather than clean. He had, of course, read Maria’s file from Diana, but it seemed… incomplete. Maria was forcing herself to not be like Marinette, and that meant huge parts of her life and personality were missing. Alfred tapped his chin in thought as he saw her multiple school awards, extensive volunteer experience, and contests won. Hm. Marinette was passionate about the things she liked: sewing, crafting and creating, baking and helping. Hm. He looked at his oven, only used to roast potatoes and meat and occasionally to bake a cake. That might work. He decided on a whim to also go online and have a sewing machine, in hot pink, delivered to the manor. A welcome home present.  
When he finished cooking and then cleaning, Alfred went upstairs to talk with Master Bruce. Surely they could come up with a schedule that would allow her the time and ability to socialize.   
After their discussion, Bruce went ahead downstairs, while Alfred stayed back to knock on Maria’s door. No answer. He opened the door slightly to listen in case she was in the bath. Nothing. Peeking through the door, he noticed the sheets were crumpled slightly. Ah. Must be asleep.   
Going downstairs he found Bruce reading the Newspaper, patiently waiting for Maria.   
“I am afraid that Miss Maria will not be joining you for lunch. I believe she fell asleep after the gruelling training today.”  
Bruce smiled and nodded, digging into his lunch and pulling a notebook out to take notes in. A to-do list. 

< ( ^ ^ ) >   
Bruce was vibrating as he led Maria into the dining room. He had believed that jetlag and training had been enough to knock her out until dinner. Imagine his surprise and worry when Maria was not in her room when they called her for dinner. And imagine his horror when he noticed her tracker having been ditched. He was about to launch the bat mobile when he recalled Maria looking for a job. He went to the computer and hacked the camera feed in the café. There she was, running back and forth from the coffee machines to the customers, a bright smile on her face. He sighed, his blood still thrumming in his years. He had left at 10 PM to make it on time for the 11 PM closing time. He was shocked when Krista, the owner of the café brushed off his offer to drive his own ward home. So she did not use his name to get the job.   
When they reached the dining room, he pushed Maria down at the table with a cold plate left sitting there since 6 PM. His own was also untouched, worry churning his insides and making his appetite non-existent. He sighed, wiping his down his face with both hands. Maria wasn’t a Gothimite. She had no idea the troubles and dangers around every corner. She was new, and from what he understood from Lucius she was expecting this to be a temporary home for her, instead of permanent. It seemed despite his track record of permanently adopting strays, Maria felt like she was not welcome here.   
He took a deep breath, “Maria, I realize that my not being here to greet you personally perhaps gave you the impression that you were here temporarily, but I want you to know that isn’t the case. You are here to stay as long as you like. This … I … Let this be your home Maria, as much as it has been for me. We cannot replace your parents, and I am not Diana, but we do want you to be comfortable here.”   
He said this while looking at her bowed head. Her hands had been in her lap, but raised to her tear stained eyes. Bruce frowned. How many times has she had to cry so silently that no one even noticed she was crying. He stood from his chair and pulled her into his arms. How long has she had to be so strong? He let her cry herself out and put her to bed. She’d be starving by the morning, but she needed the rest. Walking from the room, he shut the door on a sigh.   
“Master Bruce?” Alfred stood in the shadows of the hall.  
“Clear my schedule for the morning. I think I’m needed here for the week” he whispered, before retiring to the cave.


	9. The Cons of Not Believing

(- - )   
Tim looked at his phone in surprise. He’d been in Paris for only a week to help train the Miracles, and already Bruce was calling him? Was hell freezing over? Did someone die?!  
“B?” Tim whispers, not wanting to wake up Stephanie. There is silence on the other line. Tim frowns and moves to the other room so he can turn on the video.   
“Bruce?” he asks again, now looking at the brooding older man. He looked like Joker just shat in his coffee.   
“Tim… I… when you were younger… how… what could I have done to support you more?” Bruce finally bit out. His pauses long and his eyes drawn together. Bruce was looking to the side and was speaking quietly. Tim recognized the room as Steph’s before she moved into his room. A new sibling? AH! Bruce had been petitioning to have the previous Ladybug brought under his custody. He’d been blocked and turned away every time. It seemed Diana was extremely excited to be teaching a new Ladybug, had in fact claimed her as her sister. Bruce had been told that he had enough children and that he didn’t need to “corrupt” another one.   
“Is the new sister having a hard time adjusting? Shouldn’t you be asking Dick?” Tim asked, relieved no one died…again.   
“… Marinette is fourteen and about to graduate high school this Christmas. She was tossed to the side by her family for some unknown reason. She was torn from her friends and responsibilities. Since receiving the Miraculous at thirteen, she has hardly had a minute to breath, let alone figure herself out. And when, by all rights, she should have had the time, Diana takes her, shaves all her hair off and tells her “[W]ith every hair that falls, a part of Marinette must die. As your new hair grows, Maria will grow as well.” She wasn’t allowed to sew or draw or bake or cook. She wasn’t allowed to do anything that had any connection to her previous life,” Bruce’s hands and jaw were clenched.   
Tim frowned again. What?!   
“Marinette trained from dawn to dusk, but was never allowed out of the house, nor to shadow her on missions. She was to study, to train, and to sit quietly and behave herself.”  
“You’re kidding?! No wonder her friends here are so worried! They’ve been trying to contact her!” Tim growled. He felt ready to go hunt an Amazonian.   
“What would you suggest I do? She thinks further ahead than anyone I know, has strategies and back-up strategies and back-ups for the back-ups. She has social anxiety, with a history of being bullied. She skipped grades and then stopped for some reason. She had the same teacher for years, despite having been bullied by classmates. I just… I need to hear from someone who is closer to her age and had similar problems. What can I do?” Bruce wiped his hand down his face. He looked so tired.   
Tim sighed and thought back to when he was fourteen. He’d been Robin for three years by then already. What could he have used? More time together? More friends? More sleep? Did any of this help his new sister?   
Tim shook his head, “I don’t know, B. I was more interested in being Robin than being a teenager. Time with you was always good. Sibling time with as well. Maybe call Dick. He’s always been the best adjusted out of all of us.”  
Bruce just nodded, gave his half smile and was about to sign off when a light went off over his head.   
“Tim, one last thing. Please look into the school and classmates for me. Something tells me Marinette was being held back against her will.”  
Tim frowned more. He nodded before signing off and sending a message to the Miracle Team that Marinette would be able to speak in the next week and would video chat with them soon. He was about to text Jason when Stephanie called for him. He put his phone down and walked back to bed.   
( # , # )  
Richard Grayson was used to getting calls at weird times. But two in the morning and from Bruce’s civilian phone? He sent a quick prayer up that no one died and answered.   
“What’s up, B? Miss me already?” He asked cheerfully.  
Bruce looked tiredly at the camera, “Dick. I need some advice to help your newest sister adjust.”  
Dick’s eyes widened. Bruce finally got custody! That’s good. But he looked so exhausted. He wondered what happened.   
“Adjust to what, specifically? The fighting? School? Is she moody? What’s going on?” Dick asked. When did he become the one to give PARENTING advice to his father?   
As Bruce talked about what he’d learned from Marinette’s journal, Dick became more and more angry. He was a guy, but even her knew that you never cut a girl’s hair without permission!   
“Sounds to me like she just needs to believe that this is real and permanent. Just be there when you can. Talk to her about decisions and let her work the way she is used to on missions. Thing’s will fall into place after that” Dick said pragmatically. There really wasn’t much to do but be there. He wished he could be there to help in person, but India had recently fallen prey to the mouse Miraculous. He and Starfire were there to capture the thief that was misusing the Miraculous.   
Bruce sighed and nodded, before hanging up. Poor Bruce. Dick would do his best to get done here and head home. He was excited to meet his new sister! He sent a message to Jason and Tim, warning them of the new sister and to be nice if they caught her on the video chats.   
< ( ^ ^ ) >   
Bruce sighed, exhausted. He hadn’t meant to call the boys yet, but this was not something he wanted to go in blind to. Diana had made a lot of mistakes with Marinette, and she deserved better than that. Bruce had only glanced through the journal to get some insight, but it seemed Marinette suffered from Imposter Syndrome, social anxiety, abandonment issues… And Diana, who only exasperated the problems. Keeping her locked away, training her to exhaustion, taking her hobbies and passions, killing any and all aspects of her personality. Bruce had thought Marinette was just shy. This though. He frowned. Had he known about this he would have treated Marinette very differently. Maybe an hour of sleep would help him clear his head. He leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes.   
< ( >< ) >  
Alfred stared blankly at the ceiling. Something wasn’t adding up. For all that her parents were busy people, they seemed to love their daughter a great deal. He couldn’t imagine they had just randomly abandoned her for being a hero. Not when they hosted Chat Noir for dinner one night. Not when they seemed so proud of their daughter with every award she received. Something was off. Alfred wasn’t a detective, but he would find out what had truly happened if it killed him.  
{ J }   
Jason stared at his phone, re-reading the message from Dick. A new sister, huh?   
‘Che, poor kid. Dealing with B all on her own. I’ll have to make this quick,’ he thought as he lifted the binoculars.   
He was currently in Germany, following a suspected Miraculous user. The information about the Horse Miraculous stated that they could open portals anywhere. And recently a string of missing women from Cologne was becoming very concerning. Especially when companions and eyewitnesses all claim the same thing: a glowing yellow circle opening in the air and the woman vanishing through it. Jason watched silently as Cass walked down the street below. The tracker and her own training would hopefully keep her alive long enough for Jason to find her and the rest of the women. Nothing below. Maybe check the other side? Just as he was getting up, he felt a fist to his head. And then black.   
*!!*   
Luka looked at his phone. Marinette was finally in contact again? The day Black Canary had landed, they had bothered her from dawn to dusk to talk to their old leader, but were stonewalled, as her new guardian didn’t think it was a good idea to be constantly reminded of her failure. The team had shouted that it wasn’t Marinette’s failure alone, but the whole teams. And more over, the League’s, as they never took their calls for help seriously. Canary was pretty quickly chased away by them, and another trainer was sent. Green Lantern 1 and 2 were a great help for Kaefer, but the rest of the team didn’t see any real benefit from them. And they didn’t care in the least about Marinette. They didn’t last very long either. It went on like this for a year. Trainers came and went, all of them parroting the same thing. Luka had a new reputation now, as the trainer wrecker, on the team. And as a civilian? He became completely cold and closed off. Only his teammates saw any warmth from him. But even Juleka was being steadily pushed to arms length. Paris did this to Marinette. And none of them, not her friends or her family, even cared.   
<(**)>  
When Marinette woke up the next morning, she knew immediately that she wasn’t alone. Looking out through blurry eyes, she saw the figure of a man standing by her window. He was turned away, looking outside with the sun streaming in. She tried to remember how she got to her room.   
A knock at her door had her quickly closing her eyes and pretending to be asleep. Bruce went to the door.   
“Master Bruce. I thought you and Miss Marinette might enjoy some breakfast.”  
“Thank you, Alfred. Will you be joining us for breakfast?”  
“I’m afraid I have an errand to run in town this morning. But I will be sure to return for lunch. Do try not to burn the kitchen down.”  
“You can sit up now, Marinette. I heard the change in your breathing earlier.”  
Marinette cracked an eye open. Why? She sat up on her bed and looked up at her current guardian.   
“Do you mind if I sit here?” Bruce gestured at the end of the bed, carrying a large tray filled with waffles, fruits, yogurt and coffee. Marinette shook her head mutely.   
After Bruce set the tray on the middle of the bed, he sat down and looked her in they eye.   
“Marinette, what I said last night still stands. I want you to feel at home here. This isn’t temporary. Two of the oldest boys are already calling you their newest sister. Marinette, most of my children are adopted. In fact, only one of my kids is related to me by blood. I wanted to bring you here from the beginning, but lost the custody battle to… Anyways, you’re here now. I want you to feel at home and remember yourself. To have a safe place to just be.”   
Marinette felt her eyes watering again. Was this… was this real? But her parents had promised to always be there too, hadn’t they? Marinette nodded. Eventually everything would come to an end. But for now, for just this moment, she would allow herself to be comfortable.   
“Okay? Okay. So, I wanted to talk to you about school and extra curriculars. Your work schedule… “ Bruce pulled a notebook out of his breast pocket. Her eyes widened. He… He wanted HER opinion?  
“No school” her voice was barely above a whisper, her hands clenched in the blankets and her head bowed. She missed his nod of understanding.   
“No school. Just distance education with tests and exams taken in the principle’s office. But I am more interested in what you might be interested in taking in University. Are there any particular courses that interest you? Is there a career path you’d like to follow? We will have to start the applications right away if you want to get in for the Spring term. And what about extra curriculars? Dance? Ice dancing? Gymnastics? Parkour? Sewing? Singing? Music? Most of the kids all learned piano from me at some point…” He was looking in his notebook and tapping his pen against his pants.   
Wah…? Marinette felt her jaw drop.   
“Am I overwhelming you? It’s okay to take a few days to think things over and let me know…” Bruce looked at her face, jaw slack and eyes wide. Marinette just nodded.   
“Breakfast?”


	10. Cons of Falling for Family

<(**)>   
Marinette stared at the sewing machine on her desk. Alfred had bought it for her to welcome her home. Bruce had bought expensive sketch pads and pencils. One of Bruce’s other kids (not her brother, even if Bruce called him her brother Dick) had sent an expensive Indian fabric. Gifts to welcome her to their family.   
Bruce had spent the entire day with her, giving her a proper tour, asking questions about what she liked, if she wanted a different colour for her walls, what she wanted to do with her life… It had been overwhelming to say the least. Marinette had made up her mind at a young aga and always knew what she wanted to do. When Diana told her, she couldn’t be anything Marinette had been, she had been lost. And now Bruce was telling her to be herself. To be Marinette again. To do with her life as she pleased, and he promised to be there to help her pick up the pieces if it all fell apart.   
Her brand new Wayne phone dinged with a message on her desk. Marinette stared. She hadn’t received a text in a year. Unlocking the screen, the pre-programmed number and name of Timothy Drake-Wayne lit up her screen.   
‘Hey, little sister! I have some people that want to say hi!’   
Attached was a picture of the Miracle Team. Oh!  
She hit video call. With every unanswered ring her anxiety spiked. She was about to hit end when the call was answered by a pretty blonde woman with blue eyes.   
“Tim! The new sister is calling!” the blonde turned and shouted off camera. Before Tim could move to get the phone Vipereon was there.  
“Marinette?” his voice was calm, but inside he felt anything but. A year of radio silence. A year!  
“Luka?” her voice is just above a whisper, cracking as she is filled with emotions again.   
She cries silently as Luka takes in her face. She’d lost weight. Her was cut. And gone was the pink.  
“My melody, are you okay?” Luka asked finally. Screw all of Paris. If she needed him, he would be there.   
“I’m okay. I…” she couldn’t talk. She just took in the image of Vipereon on her screen, listened to the shouting happening off to the side of the other’s. Kwami how she missed them. Luka smiled in understanding.   
“We’re not going anywhere, Marinette. Take your time.”  
And so she broke down. She told Luka everything. Everything she couldn’t trust herself to tell Bruce.   
And Luka listened, never interrupting. And when she was done, he told her how amazing she was. How after everything that had happened, she could still keep going. And that she would figure out what to do, but if she really needed time, to just ask for it. He promised to use the Zeta tubes as soon as possible to visit as well.   
And for the first time in a year, Marinette truly smiled.  
< ( ^ ^ ) >   
Bruce woke up early the next morning, to see if he could convince Marinette to go to a fabric store with him. When he got to the kitchen however his whole body froze. Alfred as standing by the counter, relaxed and quiet as Marinette dashed around the kitchen in her pajamas. She had a big grin on her face as waffles and eggs and bacon and fruits all came to perfection under her practiced hands.   
“Alfred…”  
“She insisted that my pancakes were dry and bland. She challenged me. I did not have the heart to deny her” Alfred stated simply. A smile tugged at his lips, and Bruce knew. Alfred did this to help Marinette come back to the surface.   
_ -   
After a delicious breakfast, Bruce was shocked when Marinette enthusiastically showed him her sketchpad. The page was filled with a super-hero costume, mostly white and pink, with black accents and a black hood. (Similar to Gwen Stacy from the Spider-Verse movie, but reverse colours.)  
In the car, Marinette also asked about modern and contemporary dance. Bruce smiled. They made a stop at the Gotham Dance Studio. When Marinette watched the different styles of dancing, her face lit up. Bruce signed the check and promised to get her the proper footwear.   
In the fabric store, you would have thought that Christmas and Easter happened all at once. Marinette’s eyes were filled with glee. She was picky with her fabrics. While her back was turned, Bruce ordered some Dress Forms and ribbons, and the fabrics she liked he got in every colour they had. When she looked at Bruce, happy with a single 2 yard roll of fabric, Bruce smiled back.   
When they got her school uniform, only to be worn on exam days, Marinette also got a tour of the facility. The school was massive, with three buildings denoting the different school levels. The tech was also out of the world amazing, with teachers using holo-screens instead of whiteboards, or blackboards like in Europe. Kids walked around with school approved and funded pads. Marinette felt very backwater hill-Billy right then.   
When they got back, Alfred showed them a new room, set up while they were out. Bruce rubbed the back of his neck when Marinette balked at the dress forms and fabric. It was next to Damien’s art room, filled to the brim with paints and brushes. It was above Dick’s gymnastic training room. Marinette could only stare.   
-_  
The rest of the week went by in a similar manner. Bruce took the time to personally show Marinette around Gotham, talking about the history of the city, and it’s criminals. He took her to the office, introduced himself to her boss. Lucius Fox showed her, her new costume.   
And finally, on Friday night, Batman patrolled with Knave at his side.   
Marinette went to bed that morning with a big smile on her face. In her hand was her phone, a guitar melody floating quietly through the room.   
In Germany, Jason groggily opened his eyes.


	11. Cons of separating Teams

{ J }   
Jason groaned. His whole body felt heavy, his head throbbed painfully to the beat of his heart, his eyes couldn’t focus, and his tongue felt like it was taking over his mouth. ‘What happened?’ he asked himself as he slowly regained function of his body. ‘Where am I?’   
“Red?” the voice came from somewhere to his right. Groggily he turned his head. Nothing. He frowned, looking to the left. Also nothing. A room without windows and doors?   
“Red, come in!”   
His ear… right! He had an earpiece.  
“Bat?” His voice was raspy, his throat sore.   
“Finally! I have been checking in every 30 minutes for four hours! What happened?” Black Bat exclaimed.  
“No idea. I was watching you walk down the street and then nothing.”  
“I can’t lock onto your signal, you must be somewhere underground. Can you see or hear anything to give me a location?”  
“I’m in a room. No door. No window. Soundproof too, I think. Definitely the Horse thief” Jason mumbled, trying to find a seam or stress point to take advantage of.   
“I’m calling for backup. Maybe Raven can get to you” and she was gone.   
Jason sighed and settled in for a long wait. 

( - - )   
Luka sat across from Tim, the staring contest that had started a week ago continuing. Tim had been ready to rip the phone out of Vipereon’s hand (and in fact, had managed it, but Vipereon had used second chance and managed to evade the second time) to greet his “little sister”. He had let it be when he heard what Marinette had to say. She was going through a lot. Unsure of herself and just wanting something normal and familiar. Tim had ushered the others out of the room, but had listened in on the conversation himself. Marinette was so lost and out of her depth.  
An unwilling hero at thirteen, outed secret identity, trouble making friends, no time to just be, and then her parents abandon her, Diana only wanted to train Ladybug and was always so disappointed in Marinette, forcing her to be Maria, and then sending her away and abandoning her to Bruce and Alfred, whom she couldn’t trust, because she was forever alone. She wanted her friends and old life back.   
He had relayed to Bruce about their conversation, hoping he had done the best with the information. Now he sat in front of Luka, trying to convince him that, no, he could not drop his hero responsibilities and go galivanting through the Zeta Tubes, just to see his “she’s-not-your-sister” sister.   
“You are the team leader, Luka. They depend on you, not only because your power gives you the leg up, but because you are the only one she trusted. Please understand” Tim tried again.   
“She is not okay, Drake. Screw Paris! I don’t give a crap about this stupid city anymore! Marinette needs me!” Luka lashed out. Tim sighed. He looked at Luka’s tense posture and hard eyes. This might be what Luka needed to push him to be a better leader to his team.   
“Three hours. And then you will be back here” Tim stated, relenting because he knew his sister needed this, “tell my sister I say hello.”  
“She’s NOT your sister!” Luka growled, standing up.  
“And she’s NOT your girlfriend! Marinette needs some familiarity now, I understand. But do not mistake this as permission to use her emotional dependency on you as your ticket into her pants!” Tim shouted. He’d been a teenager, dammit. He wasn’t even all that much older than Luka. He wouldn’t put it past any teenaged boy, hero or not.   
Luka recoiled, as if punched.   
“Never” he turned and slammed the door shut behind him. Tim sighed. He hadn’t had enough coffee for this shit.   
<(**)>   
Knave swung over Penguin’s head, dropping quietly behind him and taking out his minions in a lightning fast maneuver. She threw a smoke bomb and Batman materialized to finish the job. A pathetically easy take down. Knave smirked. Batman nodded to Commissioner Gordon, stepping aside to allow him to take Penguin into custody.   
Had Knave not already known how helpful it was to have an experienced vigilante to work with, she would have been mighty impressed now. Their take down time generally was approximately thirty to forty-five minutes. Granted, so far she had only faced the Riddler and Penguin, along with some regular burglars and criminals.   
She sent out her grappling hook and swung off. She had her first science lab in the morning. She arrived to the cave in short order, pulling her hood down, she walked past Alfred to the ‘bat-shower’.   
“Not even going to say hello?” a familiar voice spoke in French. She spun around and squealed when she saw Luka leaning against the computer. He smiled and held his hands out to her. She ran into him. Feeling his arms close around her in a hug, smelling the distinctly ‘Luka Couffaine’ scent, and hearing him hum a familiar tune… Marinette felt herself melt into him.   
“I’ve missed you. Merde, I’ve missed you!” Marinette cried. Tears sprang to life, and she just stood in Luka’s embrace. For the first time in a year, it felt like nothing could go wrong.   
“I hate to interrupt, but Batman is calling for Knave” Alfred stated, turning to the teens.   
She sighed. So much for that shower.   
“I’m not going anywhere.


	12. Cons of missing jewelry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, NOTES! Please read! Now, I don’t think I ever went into detail about DC timelines or ages… Damien is a year older than Marinette (putting him at 15 years old right now, the average age for the Robin to take over a leadership position), Making Tim 22 and Stephanie 21 (unless anyone can tell me where the hell I can find her actual age in comparison to the others), Jason is 24, Richard is about to turn 30. Cassandra Cain is 24, and Barbara Gordon died in the Joker attack (I have plans).   
> So in the hands of good we have the (dormant) Turtle, Juleka as the fox (Ruse), Luka as Vipereon, Chloe as Vespa and Kagami as Ryouko. Marlene Seely (my OC) has taken on the Ladybug Mantle and is known as Kaefer.   
> Loose on the world at large: The Mouse Miraculous (Thief in India), The Horse Miraculous (human trafficker in Germany), The Black Cat (causing destruction at random in Paris), The Butterfly (also in Paris), Monkey Miraculous (in Jump City, causing all weapons but Death Stroke’s to fail), Peacock Miraculous (dormant).

*!!*  
Alya walked into her school for the last week before winter break. Mandatory counselling, restricted internet and computer use, controlled and regulated interaction with friends, bi-weekly community-service… Alya was happy to be preparing for Lycée the following year. Francois-Dupont had agreed to wipe clean their records for a full year of good behaviour, but they had to adhere to a very strict regime put into place by their new principle, a Monsieur Asselah. French-Muslim born, Bilal Asselah came to the school at the beginning of this year and had come down on the student body for their descending grades and lack of emotional control. He enforced counselling and even therapy sessions on all students. He enforced anti-bullying rules. He enforced equality among the students and equal treatment to all. Monsieur Asselah was also very quiet, hard to anger, and polite. Alya liked him, for all that she wasn’t allowed to speak with her old group of friends anymore. She also knew (from counselling) that she was one of the few still having a hard time moving on. Alya was stuck in the past, but hopefully moving to Lycée will help her think of the bigger picture.   
“Yeah, Luka really missed her. He hasn’t picked that guitar up since she left. He was gone way longer than he was supposed to but being with Marinette was more important to him…” Alya stopped dead in her tracks. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Juleka walking next to an unfamiliar girl with brown hair. The girl nodded.   
“So weird. I didn’t know him before, but seeing how relaxed he was? I bet you they start dating soon!”  
“I don’t know… Luka always had a thing for her, but Marinette always… I don’t know…”   
Alya was struck. How long had it been since she thought about Marinette? She tried not to, really, because thinking about Marinette meant thinking about Ladybug and the new fox hero (that still gave her a twinge in her chest, that still made her eyes sting with frustration) and Alya didn’t have much time to focus on the things she couldn’t fix. A part of her, a small part, recognized that had Alya simply listened to Marinette, had she trusted her best friend, Alya wouldn’t be in as much trouble now. Marinette hadn’t tried to find Alya to bestow the fox miraculous to. She hadn’t said goodbye. Or tried to send a single letter to her. Alya hadn’t thought much of Marinette in the past year. But it sure hurt to hear Juleka and some random stranger knew where she was and Alya didn’t.   
‘Hello Loner… I am Mourning Cloak. You and I, we both lost someone precious. Let’s wreak some havoc and see if they won’t come back…’  
“Yes, Mourning Cloak.”  
_ - _  
Adrien sat forward as he watched the News in Paris. Another random Akuma with no actual direction. Another sighting of Svart Katt, fighting against the Parisian heroes and causing destruction for fun. Adrien frowned. How… How could Plagg let Wilhelm use him like this? How could Wilhelm think this was what he’d wanted? The TV went blank and Adrien almost screamed.  
“You shouldn’t be watching those things. You’re away from there now” his aunt Amelie walked further into the room, putting the remote down on a shelf as she walked. Adrien had never told them that he had been Chat Noir, which is how he was acquitted. Only that he had never known anything was amiss. His aunt and cousin did their best to shield him from the masses, from the news, and from the situation in Paris. But they couldn’t hide everything, and Adrien knew that his father had tried to get in contact multiple times since the first sighting of Svart.   
“You don’t understand Aunty…”  
“No! Enough! Adrien, you need to live in the now! And right now, you are in London, not Paris. Now, get ready, we’re meeting with the Johnson & Johnson agents” and with that she walked out of the room.   
Adrien sighed. How had he messed up so badly?  
< ( ^ ^ ) >  
Batman walked the halls of the Justice Tower with quiet steps and clenched fists. This was his first meeting with them since taking Marinette in. Marinette had a dancing lesson that night.   
“Batman, you finally made it!” Flash called from the left.  
“… my daughter needed me…” he was usually the last person to volunteer personal information but seeing Diana flinch in her seat was well worth it.   
“How is Maria?” Diana asked gently as he took his seat.   
He didn’t answer. Instead he turned he gaze to Superman, telling the room to shut up and listen. As Superman went on to give reports about recent problems around the world, caused by the accursed Miraculous Jewelry, Batman sat in his seat, impassive. In his head he kept a constant monologue of “Do not Kill. Do not Attack. Do not Shout. Do not, Do not, Do not…”   
When the meeting concluded, Batman made to make a quick exit. He couldn’t be around them. Not right now, when he felt like he might actually attack them, whether verbally or physically.   
‘Marinette need you to pick her up from dance. Marinette needs you to help her with her physics homework. Marinette needs help in filling out her University application.’   
“Bruce! Please, how is Maria?” Diana had followed his brisk exit.   
“Who is Maria?” he asked instead. If he sounded like he normally did when fighting Joker, well…  
Diana stepped back. “Maria, my -- ”  
“Your Nothing! Her name is Marinette! Marinette Wayne, and she is alive and growing and coming out of her shell, not thanks to anything you did! How… How could you have possibly thought anything you did to her was acceptable?! How would shaving her hair and telling her to basically kill herself help her?!” Bruce couldn’t hold back his fury anymore. He shoved his cowl off his head and glared at her as he stepped into her space. “You had one job, Diana. To protect her. You failed.”  
He turned on his heel and slammed the elevator button to get the hell away from this place. He would tell Alfred to take over meetings until it became relevant to him. Otherwise, he was going to avoid this place like the plague.   
^ ^ ^ ^   
In Arkham, a maniac laugh could be heard through out the halls. Freedom!


	13. Cons of a Century of unknowns

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And a quick note, because I should have put it into the last one and forgot.   
> First! Bilal Asselah (the new principle) is a bonified DC character and the ACTUAL Parisian Batman, named Nightrunner. He became controversial in the eyes of the world when France refused to acknowledge their Muslim community.   
> Second! I have a very weird way of naming my heroes and villains... ask if you need clarification.  
> Third! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! To @multifandomscribette for allowing me to take your amazing idea and running to the hills with it!   
> Fourth! Thank you all for reading and to those who reviewed! I love hearing what you have to say!

<(**)>   
Knave felt off. There was no easy way to describe it, but it felt familiar almost, but not. She sent her grappling hook to the next building, and swung, her eyes roaming around the city, trying to pinpoint where the feeling might be coming from.   
“Knave, come in. We have Joker loose on a residential area in the City West Street” Batman’s voice was urgent. She released the grapple, instead allowing herself to drop the twenty story drop before fwipping it out again and catching herself and then dropping into an alley. A white motorcycle with hot pink flames and black K on it sat in the alley, waiting for her.   
“On the bike, coming your way. What do you want me to do?”   
“Stealth. Stay out of his reach, distract from a distance. Throw rocks if you have to, just DON’T GET CAUGHT. Take out goons. Search for the bombs.”  
Bombs?! She had not been trained in taking out BOMBS!  
“B? I can’t diffuse bombs…”  
“… Alfred will walk you through it.”  
Before she could reply, she arrived near the street and took out her first masked goon. ‘Clowns. This is just one major horror movie, isn’t it?’   
She stashed her motorcycle and scaled a nearby apartment building to get a vantage. Below, Batman was talking with the Joker. The Joker, with ridiculous white face paint, and a grin too big for his face. Green hair and a purple suit. Knave felt her whole-body shudder as she recognized the feeling she’d had.   
‘AKUMA!’   
She reached for her comm, “A, I need you to activate Ladybug and bring her to Gotham. NOW” she whispered. She could do this. This was familiar. She may not be Ladybug, but Miraculous or no Miraculous, she could do this.   
< ( ^ ^ ) >  
Batman wasn’t shocked when his bad day at the League tower turned worse during patrol. Somehow his bad days always had a way of getting worse. He got the news of Joker’s escape when he landed on the Gotham Precinct to the Bat-signal. Gordon was beside himself and had no idea where to look. The answer came from the Joker himself, calling out to “Batsy” to have some fun. He was holding an entire neighbourhood hostage, with strategically placed bombs and goons.   
He’d sent Knave in the opposite direction originally, but quickly recalled her and gave her directions. Bruce still had nightmares of Jason and Barbara. Of finding them too late. Of not having been enough. He shuddered as he parked the Batmobile on the street to confront Joker. He just had to stall him until Knave found the bombs. He heard a slight crackling as Knave spoke to Alfred.   
“Batman… do you trust me?”  
Batman was no fool. He knew that the rest of their relationship hung in this moment. Now he wished he had heard what she had said to Alfred. But something made it through his fog of “I Can’t loose another one”. She sounded… different. She knew something. He breathed. In. Out. It seemed like an hour for him but was only seconds later “Yes”.   
<(**)>   
Knave shot her grappling hook with the precision of sharpshooter with a sniper, wrapping it around the joker and yanking him onto the roof with her. Immediately the goons were shooting at random. Knave jumped off the back of the building, landing on the fire escape and dragging Joker behind her. When she landed in the alley, more shooters ran around the building, while Batman took down as many as he could on the street.   
“Any time now A!” Knave shouted into the comms, kicking the legs out from a woman to her left and ducking below some shots from behind.   
“She is here and heading to your location.”  
“Good. Now, when the red light erupts, make sure that there are police and paramedics at every funeral home and graveyard.”  
Clearing the area and double checking – just in case – Knave turned to Joker.   
‘Where is it, where is it, where is it? What stand out? What doesn’t fit?... THERE!’  
Grabbing the laughing gas flower, she ripped it apart. Out flew a purple/black butterfly, innocent and yet so dangerous.   
“GOTCHA!” a voice shouted from the far side of the street. The Akuma vanished in a red blur. Following it, she saw the new Ladybug for the first time. She released the purified butterfly and jumped down.  
“Hi! I’m Kaefer!” she spoke in French, and held out her hand.   
“Knave. Can you cast the cure?”  
“I… have never cast the cure without a lucky charm…”  
“Just throw your yo-yo…” if Knave were in an anime, she would have a big sweat-drop on her face. She’d only had the Miraculous for a little over a year. Kaefer has had it almost as long…   
She watched as the other girl threw her yo-yo and called something in… was that German?  
The ladybugs took off to all corners of Gotham. The light was near blinding in the nighttime smog of the city. A minute passed. Then another. And still Kaefer didn’t retract the yo-yo. Sweat was starting to bead on her forehead and she was breathing too hard for having not moved.   
‘Too many lives. Too much damage. Too much time.’  
Knave moved without thinking, putting her hands on Kaefer’s shoulders. Immediately she started to feel drained. Like three days on no sleep and a cup of coffee away from collapse. She held on though.   
She was vaguely aware of Batman coming to stand near them, looking at the now devilized man still caught in her grappling hook. As the minutes passed and what could have been hours, the light finally started to recede back. Kaefer passed out first, transformation falling. Batman was quick to throw his cloak over her head. Knave was next.   
_-_-_-_-_  
Commissioner Gordon had never been as confused as when ‘Agent A’ told him to spread all emergency units to the graveyards of Gotham.   
“Look for the red light. Make note of the graves it touches. Make sure you bring shovels.”  
He arrived at Gotham Central Funeral Home and before he could pull his badge, a red light burst up over the city, temporarily blinding him and his officers. When the light finally reached them, he followed (‘Are those ladybugs?’) and tried to note which tombs and graves they touched. There were a lot. And almost immediately he heard screaming for help. He paled. He grabbed the shovel and started to move dirt off the first grave. Officers were running into the funeral home, unclaimed ashes or ashes buried in the building, and they smashed open the marble name plates. There were too many people that needed saving.   
“City of Gotham! This is Bruce Wayne! The red light you just saw was a miracle cure from the Parisian Heroes. Lives lost to the long term Akuma, Joker, have been revived. The city police, firemen and paramedics are on scene, but we need your help. Please head to your nearest graveyard with a shovel!” The announcement came from Wayne Tower, the center of the city.   
Almost immediately there was an influx of volunteers. People started digging everywhere they heard a cry. Paramedics were transporting 4 or 5 people to the hospital at the same time. Bruce Wayne sent limos and drivers out to transport people out as well. The hospitals were filled to capacity tonight.  
Neither Gordon nor Bruce had the time to think about it in their busy night life, but in a grave, marked Barbara Gordon, thumping and screaming were heard, and a volunteer immediately started to dig.  
<(**)>  
When Marinette awoke the next morning, she felt like she got hit by a train. Or Vespa’s venom. She remembered what had happened but couldn’t really believe it.  
“Miss Marinette, you’re awake. Perhaps some breakfast?” Alfred walked into her line of sight with a tray.  
“Kaefer?” she asked, her mouth dry.  
“Miss Marlene is asleep in a guest room in the East wing of the manor.”  
“Joker?”  
“A very confused man named Arthur Fleck. He is being treated at a hospital right now.”  
“Bruce?”  
“Right here, Marinette” and in he walked, adjusting his cuffs on his dress shirt, “You gave me quite the scare last night. How did you know he was an Akuma?”  
“I can’t really explain. Just… a feeling… when you’ve been around them so long, you always just… know. How… how long has the Joker been here?” She was terrified of the answer but needed to know.   
“Twenty years or so…?”  
Marinette almost cried. To be an Akuma for so long. But more than that, it meant Gabriel Agreste hadn’t been the one to corrupt Nooroo. It meant that somehow, somewhere along the line, Nooroo was corrupted by somebody else. Or something. It meant, that there could be more. She sighed, sitting up slowly.   
“There could be others. Not just here, either.”  
“What do you mean?” Bruce stiffened.  
“I mean that, when the original Guarding Temple was destroyed almost two hundred years ago, that the butterfly and peacock Miraculi, the Miraculi of transmission and emotion, went missing and, from what we had thought, weren’t seen again until Paris, two years ago. Two hundred years of lonely and powerful beings, sending out their powers in hopes of being found. The kwami can still use their powers when not fused to a human, but they’re uncontrolled and unpredictable at best. Bruce, everything we know about everyone we fight with or against could be wrong!”


	14. The Cons of not knowing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes! @afewnovelideas you will find out about Jason in this! As for Barbara, I like her Oracle line the best, but frankly, a lot has happened, and she won’t be a huge factor in this story until way down the road.   
> @vixen-uchiha yes… I have. I am all caught up on Season 3 (finally) but I actively reject pretty much everything after Chameleon (which is when I started planning and outlining this story). I did take certain factors into this though, such as Marinette’s expulsion from school and Lila working with Gabriel. I just… am not restarting the order quite yet.   
> This is not a heavy salt fic because these are naïve kids. Alya is just clueless and in denial, but not a bad person.

(- - )  
Tim stared at the screen in disbelief. Bruce sighed tiredly, wiping his hand down his face. He looked tired; Tim noted absentmindedly. Bags under his eyes indicating he hadn’t slept at all the night before. Dirt under his fingernails showing he’d gone to help in the city graveyards.   
“An Akuma… Holy…” Tim couldn’t even think straight right now. Tim’s whole world was spinning off its axel. An Akuma. Joker was an Akuma all along. Who made him? Why? What were they thinking? What was the plan? And most importantly, were there others?  
“He’s in Gotham General. He gets flashes sometimes, but he has no idea what is going on. Nothing makes sense to him. He’s asking about his mother and girlfriend, both deceased. He’s asking about Thomas Wayne” Bruce shakes his head. The world was going wonky.  
“I… I can’t even make sense of this. How… what…?” Tim was beyond words right now. The Miracles didn’t have a lot of knowledge or understanding about the Miraculi. They knew how to use their powers and how to take down Akuma, but they were not detectives and they were not natural fighters. If anything, most of them were pacifists. But when he asked them and their kwami about the TWENTY-YEAR OLD AKUMA in Gotham, everybody just blinked.   
“I’m going to see if Marinette has any insight. I’ll send Miss Seely back when she wakes up.”   
The screen went blank and Tim just sat there. An Akuma… The implications…JASON!  
He quickly fumbled his phone out in front of him and called Jason’s number. Nothing. He kept trying another three times before he remembered Cass was with him.   
“Tim?”   
“WHERE IS JASON?” He shouted. No, he didn’t normally get along well with Jason, but this…   
“He is in the hospital. He got caught by the Horse Miraculous and was put into a windowless, doorless enclosure deep underground. He passed out from lack of oxygen before Constantine could get him out. What is wrong?”   
“Are you at the hospital now? I need you to go to him immediately!”   
“Why is this so urgent, Timothy?”  
“BECAUSE JOKER WAS AN AKUMA!!!!”  
There was a pause on the other end.   
“Shit! I’ll call you back.”  
Tim stared at his phone. Nothing for it now but to wait. He texted Dick. And tapped his foot impatiently while he waited. He stood up to pace. After a few runs of his apartment he checked his phone. A minute had passed. He texted Bruce about Jason. He continued pace. He’d never been very patient.  
<(**)>   
Marinette was sitting at the mega computer in the cave, staring listlessly at the screen, even as she typed another search into the bar. Bruce had received a text after the bombshell she had dropped and gone very pale. He’d run off to who-knows-where. Marinette had eaten breakfast and dragged her sore body down to the cave. She was no detective, but she could maybe write out what she knew, and hope Bruce could make sense of it all later. 

According to my Miraculous tutor, the Miraculi are jewels that were created by a mage thousands of years ago, allowing the Gods of complex and abstract ideas, concepts or emotions to be combined with them and their powers harnessed. Created with the sole purpose of helping humanity, the Kwami were happy to serve, but eventually decided that there should be a way of controlling who received a Miraculous. And so, the Order of the Guardians came to be and then just as quickly destroyed. After the destruction of the Temple, the codex of information and two of the inner circle Miraculi were lost. Originally, Master Fu and I had thought that Hawkmoth had corrupted Nooroo, that Dusuu was likely broken in the collapse of the temple. However, with the new knowledge of Joker having been Akumatized for twenty years, it leads me to believe that either Nooroo was compromised before this or was desperately sending butterflies out in hopes of being found.   
The Kwami can use their powers on their own, but the results are normally chaotic, as humans have been their main way of channelling them for so long. Some examples of failed attempts for Kwami to use their powers include the extinction of the dinosaurs, the fall of Atlantis, the leaning of the tower of Pisa, the plague and the Lazarus Pits. Many of these happened when Kwami were unbound. 

“Marinette?” she turned to see Marlene walking towards her.  
“How are you feeling?” she asked, closing the screen and turning around.   
“Like I got hit by truck… thank you for your help last night. Tikki says that if you hadn’t offered your energy to me, the cure would have kept draining me until all the life had been drained from every single cell in my body. It’s the price I pay for not being a proper match…” Marlene was looking off into the cave, rubbing her neck.   
“What do mean sucking your life force out?!”   
“Let me explain,” Tikki popped out of Marlene’s jacket, “She means that, because she and I aren’t really compatible at all, that every time she uses the cure, it drains a little bit of life energy out of her.”  
“WHAT?!” Marinette started to hyperventilate. Being Ladybug was LITERALLY KILLING MARLENE!  
“It’s okay, normally the cure doesn’t need much, since it uses the magic of the Akuma to reverse the damage. At most, Marlene is loosing a few minutes every time she casts. If you hadn’t stepped in last night, then yeah, she would have died or lost quite a few years off her life it had been anyone else stepping in, but because it was you, you were able to take the strain completely onto yourself. You haven’t gone through the training, and neither did Master Fu, for all his good intentions. Marlene is a good person and a good TEMPORARY holder, but YOU are the best person to wield me and get the best results. Chat was a bad match, followed by, who should have been a good match but is corrupted. YOU are the only one who can stop this Marinette.”  
“I can’t leave right now…”   
“When the time is right, you will know. We all will.”  
Tikki disappeared back to her pocket and Marlene stood there completely perplexed.   
“Ah, Miss Seely. Time to be heading back to Paris. There is a Zeta Tube not far from here, and I will be happy to escort you there myself” Alfred offered, nodding to Marinette.   
{ J }  
In a hospital in Cologne Germany, Jason Todd slowly regained consciousness. He couldn’t really remember what happened, but looking around, he realized he was in a hospital bed. What the hell?  
“Jason! You’re awake! Thank goodness” a girl with blue almond-shaped eyes and black hair came running into the room.   
“Who the hell are you?”


	15. Cons of Eleven Years

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE GO BACK AND REREAD CHAPTER 2!!!! I FORGOT TO POST THE OTHER HALF OF THE FIGHT!!! YOU WILL KNOW AND SEE WHO THE TURTLE, FOX, DRAGON, AND BEE ARE!!!!

< ( ^ ^ ) >

Bruce sighed for the umpteenth time as he stared worriedly out the window. His private jet wasn’t nearly fast enough in his opinion. He had to go personally to Germany, nothing less would do. This may be his only chance to repair his relationship with Jason. Still, part of him felt guilty and out of sorts leaving Marinette basically by herself in Gotham. Alfred would be there, sure, but Bruce had been more hands on with Marinette, and with her graduation looming just over the horizon, he didn’t want her to feel alone. Rubbing his hand down his face, he couldn’t help but sigh again. So many things had happened in so short a time, and he was not able to keep up with it all. One month of Marinette living with him and his entire world view is dropped on its head after being thoroughly shaken. Was this how Marinette felt? Every day for over a year?  
Bruce relaxed into his seat and closed his eyes. A light meditation until landing, he told himself.

Breathe in: Maria Fu is actually Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

Breathe out: Marinette likes designing clothes, working for her keep, and is incredibly smart.

Breathe in: Marinette is not a warrior. She does not like to hurt people, no matter what they did to possibly deserve it.

Breathe out: Marinette loves dancing. And learning new fighting styles, even if she refuses to use them.

Breathe in: Marinette can sense Akuma.

Breath out: Joker was an Akuma. For twenty years.

Breathe in: Marinette and Marlene fixed two decades worth of damage to the city.

Breathe out: They brought hundreds of people back from the dead.

Breathe in: Jason was, apparently, reverted to his thirteen year old self.

Breathe out: Jason had no memory of the last eleven years of his life and death.

Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out.

<(**)>

Marinette got out of her last exam for high school and walked up to Alfred. Bruce, the morning after Joker’s de-evilization, had run out of her room and then, apparently, left the mansion and then the country. Alfred had received a call as Bruce was boarding his private jet that Jason had been affected by the cure and that he was heading there. To please call Tim if anything happens in Gotham and make sure Marinette was safe while on patrol. She got stoically into the vehicle and looked out the window as they drove back to the manor. A small part of her cried ‘HOME’ in the back of her mind, but she stubbornly stomped it down. She had no home anymore. Not until she made one for herself. Bruce was not her Father. She had no parents.

< ( -- ) >

Alfred looked into the rear-view mirror at his charge. Obviously dejected and undergoing an existential crisis. She held herself as a Lady, taught by Diana to always sit straight, to never cross her legs, to place her hands in her lap and to walk like she meant to kill the first person to step in front of her. She carried herself well, but with a constant air of sadness. The only times he had seen Marinette happy were when she was dancing and when… hm.  
As he pulled into the garage, allowing Marinette to jump out and rush to her room, Alfred pulled his phone out. It rang only once before it was answered.

  
“Alfred? Is everything okay?”

<(**)>

Marinette sat on her bed; her sketch pad discarded beside her. She had recently started designing her dress for her recital, but couldn’t come up with anything she really wanted to make. A knock on the door caught her attention. Glancing at the bedside clock, it was only five… Dinner was usually at six thirty.  
“Come in!” she called, sitting up. Was Bruce home?

  
“Bonjour, ma mélodie”  
“LUKA!”  
Marinette shrieked as she launched herself from her bed and into his open arms. He spun her around before hugging her tightly.  
“What are you doing here?”  
“I told, didn’t I? I will always be here for you” he touched his forehead to hers, his eyes closed as he just breathed in her scent, changed from when she lived in a bakery but still uniquely hers, and listened to her heart song, stronger, brighter and more mature than it had been in France.  
Outside the door, Alfred smiled to himself, before going to start dinner.

{ J }

Jason sat up in his hospital bed, trying to see out the window. The doctors and nurses all spoke German by the sound of it, and he hadn’t ever been to Germany. It had been a few hours since he woke up, and he was physically fine. He was waiting for Bruce, or more likely Alfred, to sign him out, take him home and explain what the hell actually is going on. Like how he ended up in Germany in the first place? Or who the hell the girl was that kept poking her head in. She seemed truly hurt by his question, though why she would was beyond him. The door opened again, and he glared.  
“Bruce?” Jason gaped a bit. One, Bruce actually came personally to pick him up! Two, Bruce looked OLD. What the actual Fuck?  
“Jason! How are you feeling? The doctor said you were okay, but Cass said you don’t remember anything” Bruce rushed in, holding Jason by the shoulders and looking him over. There were no crowbar scars. There was no autopsy scar. There was no green in his blue eyes. There was no white streak in his hair.  
Jason shook his head.  
“I’m fine. But how the hell did I end up in Germany? And who the hell is Cass? And where is Alfred?”  
“I brought some clothes for you, I’m not sure how well they will fit, but Alfred packed them, so I’m sure you’ll be okay. Go change, then we can talk at the hotel.”  
Jason just shook his head, more confused now than ever before.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really short chapter today, sorry… I’m struggling a bit with Jason. Anyways, to answer your questions, he is 13 years old (depending on the universe, he died between 13-15 years old). The Lazarus pits made an honorable mention in the previous chapter, did anyone notice? He was resurrected by ripples in the time continuum… Does anyone understand? Are you able to guess? 
> 
> I will try to update once a week from here on out!

{ J }

Jason sat back in the couch, shocked and confused. Eleven years of his life, completely gone. He’d been replaced multiple times, had (younger) more brothers and sisters and family. He stared at his hands, ones that had been dead, and then alive, trained to kill and had killed. He swallowed heavily. Where to start asking? 

“Tim and Dick are calling to check on you. Damian isn’t one to check in when he’s on a mission. Steph is with Tim, and I think Alfred is only holding back on calling because of Marinette. Do you want to talk to them?” Bruce spoke quietly into the room, not wanting to push Jason into anything.   
But other than Alfred and Dick, Jason didn’t recognize any of the names mentioned. Cass, the girl that had been with him in Germany, a sister, was staring sadly at the ground. Years of memories with her lost. He nodded his head.  
The call connected over the TV, the screen split in three. Alfred and a very old Richard stared at him through the camera. A young man, with typical black hair and blue eyes, was at the end, sitting with a blonde with brown eyes. 

“Well… sh-“

“Language, Master Dick!”

“Jason, Bruce said you don’t remember anything from the last eleven years, which is typical for Akuma victims and victims of Akuma attacks. That said, we want to help you adjust as best we can” Tim spoke swiftly, wanting to, for once, have a connection to someone in the family.   
Jason shook his head, running his hand through his hair. 

“Master Jason, if I may. Why do you not come home for a while and try to find a semblance of normalcy. Perhaps in a few weeks, we can begin to re-introduce you to the world we currently live in.”   
That sounded nice, but Jason (adult Jason) had been here on a mission. The mission always comes first. 

“We need to catch this guy here. Lives are at stake” Jason shook his head. He watched Bruce frown then sigh.

“Stephanie, would you mind coming over as extra back up? Tim doesn’t need as much help training the squad as Cass and Jason do here” Bruce asked, looking to her. 

“I’ll board the Euro Train and be in Germany in a few hours” Steph nodded, splitting to go pack.

“Jason, are you sure you do not wish to go home?” Cass asked, “It will be a very strange world for you to become accustomed to already.”  
Jason knew that, but something in him told him to stay there. 

<(**)>

Marinette laughed as she raced over the roof tops of Gotham with Vipereon. She knew that with the Kwami, he was faster than her, but she was happy to note that her training allowed her to keep up just fine without magical aide. After Luka had arrived, they sat in her room (door wide open), discussing everything from her dance recital (“Let me write your song”), to her exams to finish High School (“You’re so smart, my Melody”), to her designing (“It’s a beautiful design; simple, yet elegant. You should make it!”), to Paris (“I can’t wait until this new villain is caught. I’m leaving as soon as I can”), to his family (“Maman means well, but she makes it easy to be heroes under her nose”, “Jules? She’s fine, but her and Rose are on shaky ground lately because of Trixx”), to the band (“We don’t really have the time to practice or meet up so…”), to school (“Honestly, I just don’t… I can’t concentrate, you know?”), to their futures (“I may just take Jag up on his offer to tour”, “University? Not for me!”), to their hopes (“Settle down? I don’t know… I want to see the world…”), to their relationship now (“Friends?”).   
Marinette felt her heart ready to burst with how full it felt. Luka was everything she needed right now, and she could feel hear heart ready to burst. But they were young, and lived in different countries, and they had a lot of responsibilities on their shoulders. Luka as the leader of the Miracles, Marinette as the one with the most knowledge of the Miraculeses. Maybe in a few years. Until then, his friendship and companionship were more than she could have ever asked for. 

{ J }

He stared at the cell phone in his hand and the girl staring back at him. They were about the same age, maybe a few months apart, but she had the eyes of an old woman, who had seen too much, who had been through too much.   
“So, you’re the newest one?”  
“Marinette” she answered.   
Jason frowned in slight discomfort. A memory of holding this very phone and seeing Dick’s text flashed in his head. He’d wanted to finish quickly to get back and help her adjust.   
His eyes rolled back in his head


End file.
